Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent, Colonel Erik Smith announced today that Captain Wes Ludolph has been promoted to Major, according to a press release from KHP.
Ludolph will serve as the Bureau Commander for the Technical Operations Bureau consisting of Troop I-Motor Carrier Inspection Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) and Motor Carrier Inspections, Troop M-Central Communications, Records, and Public and Governmental Affairs.
Ludolph joined the Patrol in 1996 as a member of Class #30. His first duty station was Harvey County. He transferred to Osage County in 2000. Ludolph was promoted to Technical Trooper in 2001 and served on the Critical Highway Accident Reconstruction Team (CHART). In 2005, he transferred to Troop F as a Canine Operator. Ludolph transferred to the Troop G/Kansas Turnpike in 2006 as a Master Trooper serving in the Wichita area. In 2013, He was promoted to Lieutenant Troop G/Kansas Turnpike. Ludolph was promoted to Captain in 2019 overseeing Troop I which consists of Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, Motor Carrier Investigation, and CHART.
During his career with the Kansas Highway Patrol, Ludolph was recognized for his exemplary performance with the receipt of a Superintendent’s Award for Meritorious Service in 2007, and an award from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for the Largest Criminal Interdiction seizure of Methamphetamine (27.5 Kilograms) in the United States in 2008.
Ludolph’s hometown is Westphalia, Kan., where he is a graduate of LeRoy High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Washburn University.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
