Chief Travis Forbes
Chief Forbes began his career in law enforcement on May 14, 1992, with the Independence Missouri Police Department. He attended the 84th Kansas City Regional Police Academy class and graduated as valedictorian.
Travis graduated summa cum laude from Park University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Management and Human Resources. He was also selected by the university as most outstanding student for the Independence campus.
Travis went on to earn his master's degree in public administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2004. He was one of three graduates selected for the national Public Administration Honors Society, Pi Alpha Alpha.
Travis is also a 2007 graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command from the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety.
Travis authored the criminal justice textbook “The Investigation of Crime,” published in 2008.
Travis’s career includes work in patrol, investigations, narcotics, special operations, and administration.
In 1998, Travis was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served as a supervisor in Uniform Patrol. In 2001, Sergeant Forbes was selected as a member to the Kansas City Metro Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Unit where he served until 2003.
In 2003, Travis was promoted to the rank of captain and placed in the position of supervisor over the Independence Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Unit. In 2004, he was transferred to the position of supervisor over the Criminal Investigations Division.
In 2006, Travis was promoted to the rank of major and served as the commander of the Special Operations Division, Patrol Division, and then the Administrative Division.
Travis was promoted to deputy chief in 2013 and commanded the Operations Support Bureau.
Travis has had numerous letters of appreciation, commendations and awards throughout his career, and was selected Officer of the Month twice for the department. Travis was also selected as the City of Independence Employee of the Month during his tenure as a major. The Investigations Unit received a Special Unit Citation in 2005 while under Travis’ command.
Travis’ wife, Michelle, is a school teacher for the Fort Osage School District. They have three children; Tanner, Logan, and Raven. Travis’ father is the current chief of police in Lone Jack, Missouri, after retiring from the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department. Travis’ grandfather was with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Deputy Chief John Boenker
Deputy Chief John Boenker has been with the Lee’s Summit Police Department since 1994. He was hired as a detention officer and in 1995 was selected to be a police officer. In 2006, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant; 2008 to captain; and in 2011 he was promoted to major. In 2019 he was appointed to the rank of deputy chief.
Deputy Chief Boenker attended Longview Community College and graduated from Central Missouri State University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. In 2013 he attended the 253rd session of the FBI National Academy and graduated with his classmates in June of 2013.
During his service to the department, he has served in the Operations Division, Traffic Unit and Criminal Investigations Unit. He has also served as the CALEA team coordinator, public information officer, school resource officer and tactical team member. His primary duties include developing and managing the department budget and managing capital and bond projects. All division majors report directly to the deputy chief.
Deputy Chief Boenker is actively involved with the FBI NA, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Metropolitan Chief’s and Sheriff’s Association and the Missouri Police Chief’s Association.
Major Brian Wilson
Major Brian Wilson was promoted to the rank of Major in January of 2025; he currently serves as the Division Commander of the Criminal Investigations Division.
Major Cary Colyne
Major Cary Colyne has served the City of Lee’s Summit, MO since 1999. He currently serves as the Division Commander of the Administration Division.
Major Josh Patterson
Major Josh Patterson joined the Lee's Summit Police Department in 2000 after serving four years in the Marine Corps. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of progressively responsible roles. He began his service in the Operations Division and later took on the position of Training Coordinator for the department.
In 2010, he was promoted to Sergeant, becoming the inaugural supervisor of the Crime Reduction Team. He was also a supervisor in the Criminal Investigations Division. In 2021, he advanced to the rank of Captain and was assigned to Support Services within the Administration Division. He transitioned to the second shift in the Operations Division in 2022 and achieved the rank of Major in July 2025.
Major Patterson has also served as a firearms instructor and supervisor over the firearms training program. From 2003 to 2022, he was a member of the Lee's Summit Emergency Services Squad, where he held various leadership positions, including Team Leader, Assistant Team Commander, and ultimately Team Commander.
Since 2018, he has been an adjunct instructor for the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), teaching more than 60 tactical training courses across the country. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Grantham University and is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety.
Major Nicole Walters
Major Nicole Walters has served with the Lee’s Summit Police Department since 2002. She attended the 117th Kansas City Regional Police Academy and graduated as valedictorian. Major Walters attended Saint Francis University and graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology. She also attended the University of Central Missouri and graduated in 2002 with a master’s degree in sociology.
Major Walters is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command of Northwestern University’s Center of Public Safety and is a past president of the Lee’s Summit Police Officer’s Association.
She began her career in the patrol division as a uniformed officer. In 2007, she was selected to serve in the Juvenile Investigations Unit. She then spent time in the Special Investigations Unit and was selected to be a member of the Jackson County Drug Task Force.
In 2013, she was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served in both the Patrol Operations Division and Administration Division. She attended The FBI’s Hazardous Devices School to serve as a certified bomb technician and currently serves as the commander for the department's Bomb Squad.
In 2019, she was promoted to the rank of captain and in 2020 was promoted to the rank of major and currently serves as the Division Commander for the Administration Division.
Oath of Office | Code of Ethics | Employment | LSPD Organizational Chart
The Lee’s Summit Police Department believes that our success depends on our unique bond with our community It is through this relationship that citizens and officers work together to actively reduce crime and address shared community issues. Each officer is hired with this in mind and is dedicated to fulfilling our mission.