Peabody picks
new chief

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Phillip Crom of Towanda is Peabody’s new police chief. City council members voted to hire him July 10.

Interim city clerk Jonathan Clayton-King did not respond to an email asking for an email address for Crom.

According to Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training records, Crom started his police career Nov. 15, 2005, as a part-time patrol officer in Florence.

He went to Towanda Police Department in March 2007, where he was a part-time patrol officer. After a two-month gap, he returned there as a full-time officer until May 29, 2009.

Crom joined Benton Police Department as a part-time patrol officer in January, 2010, and remained there until November, 2011.

His next position was as a sergeant with Butler Community College public safety. He began as a patrol officer in January, 2012 and was promoted to sergeant in September, 2012. He remained with the department until February, 2018, working full-time doing “other” duties between January, 2014, and February, 2018.

While working full-time at the community college, Crom worked part-time as a patrol officer for Benton Police Department from August, 2013, to November, 2013.

He worked full-time as a patrol officer for Eastborough Police Department from July, 2020, to January, 2023.

Crom has posted upside down flags, skull and crossbones images, and images supporting Donald Trump for president and himself for vice president on his social media page. His page also has an image of the first few words of the Constitution, “We the People,” with “HAVE HAD ENOUGH” written across them.