Undersheriff

Undersheriff Eric Smith has lived in Coffey County since 1974, when he moved here from Eureka, Kansas with his family. Graduating from Burlington High in 1985, Eric then joined the U.S. Air Force and served as an electronics and security technician and codes courier in the Minuteman ICBM weapons systems during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

After military service, Eric moved back to Coffey County and started as a reserve police officer for the Burlington Police Department in 1994. In 1995, Eric was hired full-time as a police officer. He joined the Coffey County Sheriff's Office from 1997-2001, then went to work for Wolf Creek security after the 9/11 attacks, helping to design and initiate new security features to deter a terrorist attack on our nuclear plant.

Eric came back to the Sheriff's Office in January of 2009 and has been here since. He served 19 years patrolling our roads as Deputy Sheriff, Investigator, and Police Officer before being appointed by Sheriff Johnson as his Undersheriff in 2021. He has a BS in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Pre-Law, graduating summa cum laude from Liberty University.

Undersheriff Smith also served, simultaneously, in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017-2025.