Leavenworth Co. sheriff appoints undersheriff and chief deputy
New Leavenworth County Sheriff Andy Dedeke has announced appointments of undersheriff and chief deputy.
Andy Dedeke, who was sworn in as sheriff earlier this month, appointed James “Jim” Sherley as undersheriff and Jeff Dedeke as chief deputy.
Sherley will hold the rank of major and be second in command and have administrative oversight of the patrol, detective and communications divisions.
Sherley began his career with the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office in February 1996. During his tenure, Sherley has worked in jail and patrol divisions as well as the tactical team and narcotics and general assignment. Sherley also was a school resource officer in the Basehor-Linwood school district was a sergeant in the patrol division. In addition, he’s a re-occurring guest instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
He is a 1988 graduate of Lansing High School, 1993 graduate of Emporia State University and a Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduate.
Sherley currently resides in Basehor with his wife, Michelle, and two children.
Jeff Dedeke also will hold the rank of major and will be third in command.
The sheriff’s older brother, he will have administrative oversight of the records division, professional standards unit, security and civil process. Additionally, he will oversee training, policy development, and registrations for concealed carry applicants and those offenders required to do so.
Jeff Dedeke began his law enforcement career with the Leavenworth Police Department in 1989 and transitioned to the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. During his law enforcement career, he has served as an instructor in defensive tactics and the force continuum having contributed to the development of policies and procedures. He also participated in the development of other training programs and was a field training officer for many years. As a policeman for the City of Leavenworth, Jeff Dedeke was recognized as that department’s officer of the year in 1992 and is the recipient of two silver stars for bravery and ten citations, commendations or other awards.
Upon joining the Sheriff’s Office, he served as a detention deputy, patrol deputy and most recently was assigned to the detective division where he was involved in narcotic and criminal investigations. During this assignment, he received training as a crime scene analyst, child forensic interviewer and forensic linguist. In this capacity, Jeff Dedeke has served as an assistant instructor at the Regional Police Training Facility in Camp Dodge, Iowa. Additionally, he has been certified as an expert in cellular device and data forensic analysis as well as contributing as a forensic linguist in a nationally known investigation.
Jeff Dedeke is a 1986 graduate of Leavenworth High School and the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
He resides in rural Leavenworth County with his wife, Tammy, and a son. They also have a daughter who is serving in the U.S. Army.