Former Wichita police captain loses law enforcement certification after computer crimes

Wendell Nicholson, the former Wichita police captain who leaked confidential records to a Walmart security guard, has lost his state law enforcement certification, newly released records show.

The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training revoked the 29-year Wichita police veteran’s certification on Aug. 8, meaning Nicholson cannot be hired for another law enforcement job in the state.

Nicholson, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, retired from the force in the spring, a day before he was charged by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office with eight counts of felony computer crimes. In June, he entered a diversion agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Among the records that Nicholson admitted to leaking were body camera video of a police shooting, details about an internal investigation into text messages sent by SWAT team members and gang list information.

The oversight organization made up of 12 governor appointees found that Nicholson failed to maintain the minimal requirements for certification and “failed to maintain good moral character sufficient to warrant the public trust in him as a law enforcement officer.”

Nicholson was ordered to surrender and return to the commission all evidence of his certification as a Kansas law enforcement officer.

Nicholson oversaw WPD’s traffic division and the Patrol South police station and served as the department’s liaison to the Wichita Citizens Review Board, handling the board’s review of the department’s handling of discipline for officers who sent racist, sexist and homophobic text messages in a group chat with other local law enforcement officers.