Meet Our Team
Law enforcement Council
State Director, Merriam Police Department
Captain Jeremiah Waters
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Captain Waters has been a member of the Merriam Police Department for 20 years. During his tenure he has served in many roles with the department. He has been a patrol officer, special enforcement unit detective, general assignment detective, patrol corporal, detective corporal, DEA task force member, and patrol sergeant. He has served on the Kansas City Metro Squad as a detective and lead officer and the Johnson County Critical Incident Investigation team as a detective, lead officer, and Officer in Charge. He has been married to his wife Heather for 19 years and they have three children Brady, Mackenzie, and Elijah. He spends most of his off time running between his children’s sports activities and spending time with family. He can be found at most Sporting Kansas City games or watching some type of sport on tv. He has volunteered his time since 2006 with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Kansas. He is currently the State Director Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run Executive council and traveled to Berlin, Germany last summer to represent Kansas Law Enforcement at the Special Olympics World Games as a Torch Runner. He has served on numerous fundraising committees as well as an at large member and regional coordinator on the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run Executive Council before becoming State Director this year.
South East Regional Coordinator, Pittsburg Police Department
LT. Chris Moore
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I have been involved with LET since 2006 and have been on the council since 2009. I am the past state director for KS LETR and enjoy spending as much time as possible at LETR events and SOKS events. My wife and two sons also enjoy working with the Special Olympics and we have made it a family activity that we all enjoy.
North East Regional Coordinator, Topeka Police Department
Sergeant Dan Wilson
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Topeka Native, played College football at Washburn University before starting with the Topeka Police Department in 2001. Since the start of my career, I have worked in Narcotics, Detectives and Patrol. I was promoted to SGT in 2012 and have stayed in that rank since then. I am currently in charge of the Community Policing unit and enjoy the variety of work and assignments in the unit. I have been in involved with Special Olympics since 2003 and have organized a fundraising event in the fall called Battle of the Badges.
Kansas City Metro Coordinator, Prairie Village Police Department
Corporal Pat Mahoney
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I have been with the Prairie Village Police Department since March 2008, and I am currently a Corporal in the Patrol Division. My first LETR event was a Dodgeball Tournament in 2009 and I have been attending events since. In 2013, I took over as the Department of Coordinator with PVPD. Since then, I have been the Tournament Director for the Scramble for Special Olympics Golf Tournament hosted by the Prairie Village PD. Additionally, I have coordinated teams to participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Polar Plunge, Dodgeball Tournaments, the Heroes Pull, and various other events. I have attended the Law Enforcement Torch Run International Conference in 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023. I was the recipient of the 2023 Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run Champion Award. Already in 2024, I have joined the Planning Committee for the Victory Gala and look forward to taking over as the Regional Coordinator for the Metro.
Central Regional Coordinator, Reno County Sheriff’s Office
Detective Sergeant Andrew Soule
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I have been involved with LETR since 2015 and have been the Central Region Coordinator for almost the same amount of time.
North Central Regional Coordinator, Salina Police Department
Detective Dani Lemon
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I’ve been with the Salina Police Department for 18 years and am currently a Detective in the Criminal Investigations Bureau. I got involved with LETR/SOKS my very first year as a Police Officer and got volunteered to do the Polar Plunge. Once I found out what the Polar Plunge was for, I was all in. I loved going out and seeing our athletes at the plunge and the community support we always had. Around 2013, I became the “go to” officer for the Salina Police Department and getting our Polar Plunge up and going with the help of the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. I am now the North/Central Regional Coordinator for the LETR and have been for a number of years.
Northwest regional Coordinator, Sherman County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff Burton Pianolto
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I have been involved with LETR since 2015 and have been the Central Region Coordinator for almost the same amount of time.
South Central Regional coordinator, Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office
Sergeant Erin Wannow
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Sergeant Erin Wannow has served with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. She has received an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice and is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree. Erin worked for 10 years as a patrol deputy with a variety of assignments from patrol, community liaison and administrative deputy. She was promoted to the rank of Detective in 2015 and worked person’s crimes, property crimes and criminal intelligence. Erin was certified as a Crime Analyst and helped facilitate the intelligence led policing model into the organization. In 2018, Erin was promoted to Forensic Investigation. For four years she was responsible for crime scene processing, evidence processing and attended the Federal Law Enforcement Training center CSI course and then was promoted to Sergeant in 2022. As a sergeant, Erin has worked patrol and is currently assigned as the recruiting sergeant at the Wichita Sedgwick County Law Enforcement Training Center. Erin is the recipient of the bronze medal of meritorious conduct, two time Salute the Badge recipient. She was elected the South Central Regional Coordinator for the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run Executive council and has been passionately working alongside Kansas Special Olympics for over 12 years. In her free time, Erin enjoys the outdoors, running and gravel bike riding and most importantly is a mother of two amazing boys.
MEMBER AT LARGE, LAWRENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer James Browning
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I have been involved with Special Olympics for the past 40 years, and have been with the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for the past 20 years. I have served on numerous LETR committees and have served on the Executive Council for over 6 years.
The greatest joy I have is being with our athletes and watching them grow as a person.
In 2017 I was selected to represent Kansas LETR at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria.
MEMBER AT LARGE, WICHITA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer Alli Larison
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I started the Wichita Police Department in 2012 and have been involved with the Special Olympics since the Academy. I have been helping and organizing events for the Department for years. I am currently a Community Policing Officer on Patrol but I also am the handler for our Therapy Dog, Stewie. I am a Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Team Leader on the Crisis Negotiator Team, as well as a CIT and ICAT Instructor. When I’m not at work, I am still working or trying to figure out how to be a “Dance Mom”, so I guess you can say that I have “A lot going on at the moment”.
MEMBER AT LARGE, OTTAWA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer Larabe Alexander
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Larabe Alexander began his career with the Ottawa Police Department in August of 2006 as Animal Control Officer, in September of 2009 he was promoted to Community Service Officer and then into his current position as Master Patrol
Officer in January of 2017.
Larabe is a current At Large Member of the Executive Council for the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics since 2014. His first experience with Special Olympics was sitting on the rooftop of the local Wendy’s collecting donations. Larabe has participated in his local Torch runs since 2007 and coordinating them shortly thereafter putting in many miles on the ground. He attended his first summer games in June of 2012 as a final leg runner and medal presenter. After those Summer games he says that he was hooked. Larabe participates every year and now includes his family during this time.
When not working Larabe enjoys riding his bike on adventures and spending time with his wife Tammy at the lake and their 4 girls.
MEMBER AT LARGE, Chief, Plans and Programs United States Air Force
Mr. Bob Sanderson
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Mr. Sanderson is the Chief, Plans and Program for the 22d Security Forces Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. He leads, manages and directs 16 personnel responsible for base security/law enforcement, Anti-Terrorism, and Force Protection Operations for 18,000 military and civilians.
Mr. Sanderson provides planning and oversight for physical security, electronic security, installation access control, records, resource protection, innovation, contingency operation planning and execution, as well as security design for building construction and improvements for 3,594 acres and facilitates protection for 6 billion dollars in warfighter resources.
Mr. Sanderson grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan and enlisted in the Air Force April of 1971 as a Law Enforcement Specialist. He served over 20 years on active duty and retired from active duty at McConnell AFB, KS. Mr. Sanderson continued his law enforcement career as a Crime Scene Investigator and Supervisor with the Wichita Police Department. He returned the Air Force in 2004 as the first civilian Detective where he served for 5 years. Mr. Sanderson transitioned to his current position in 2009 in the grade of GS-11. Mr. Sanderson was blessed by active involvement with the Kansas Special Olympics and Law Enforcement Torch run since 1988.
Member At-Large, Riley County Police Department
Corporal Rachel Pate
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I started at the Riley County Police Department in 2013 and began volunteering at the LETR events. In 2018, I took over as the RCPD liaison and began planning and coordinating my local LETR events. As a child, I got to watch my older brother compete in sports through Special Olympics and accomplish things he never thought were possible before SOKS was a part of his life. He has since retired from competition but enjoys assisting me with directing traffic and riding in my patrol at the Torch Run each summer. I look forward to each event and seeing the joy they bring to the local community, SOKS athletes and my LEO co-workers.
HONORARY CHAIRMAN, KANSAS ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE
Ret. chief Dennis Shaw
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- Executive Director Kansas Association Chiefs of Police
- McPherson Police Chief 2003- 2011 Retired Started 1979
- FBI NAA grad 227
- FBI NA Youth leadership chair person
- FBI Sgt at Arms
- Started LETR 1984 – 2011
- State Director – Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, 2011 – 2014
- Recipient of the Richard LaMunyon Hall of Fame Award
- Recipient of the International John Carion Unsung Hero Award
ATHLETE AMBASSADOR, WICHITA INDEPENDENTS
Courtney Davis
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I have been involved with LETR since 2015 and have been the Central Region Coordinator for almost the same amount of time.
