05/07/2026
Two gold awards were presented to Officers of the Atchison Police Department at the annual Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police Valor Awards ceremony. Master Patrol Officer Wyatt Richardson and the department’s Special Response Team each received gold valor awards. Both awards were the result of actions taken by Atchison Police officers during a hostage situation that occurred in the 500 bock North 9th Street in January 2025.
Officer Richardson was the first officer to arrive at the scene where a person with a gun was breaking into an apartment. After shots were fired at the arriving officer, he was able to hold his position and contain the suspect who had fled into an apartment where he held a hostage for hours. Soon thereafter, Officer Richardson was able to help several residents, including a small child, get out of an adjoining apartment and out of harms way. Special Response Teams from the Atchison Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation were able to get other apartment residents out of harms way and eventually rescue the hostage.
The KHP and KBI response teams were also recognized at the ceremony with gold awards with recognition given to the collaborative efforts of the three teams working together that saved lives.