Kansas police chief censured for threatening and punching inmate, records show

A former Kansas police chief, now working as a deputy, has been censured after threatening an inmate and punching him three times in the head and face after the inmate spit on him, according to documents released Tuesday.

A censure is considered a formal reprimand.

James Cude, who was police chief in the WaKeeney Police Department when the incident happened July 22, 2023, is now a deputy with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office.

Cude replied “no comment” when reached by phone Tuesday and then hung up.

Cude self-reported the incident to the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (KSCPOST), the organization which oversees officer certifications.

Cude ran the roughly six-officer department from February 2023-2024 before resigning, the police department said.

He was still with the department when KSCPOST finished its investigation last month. The findings were published Tuesday.

Here’s what it says:

Cude took an inmate to the Ellis County Jail, where jail staff put the inmate in a restraint chair “due to his behavior.”

The inmate, who reported to officers that he had Hepatitis C, became “increasingly agitated and thrashed about.” He then tried to headbutt an officer, when Cude threatened him.

The inmate then tried to bite an officer when Cude said: “If you try to bite anyone, you won’t have any teeth when I am done.”

The inmate then spit in Cude’s face, who reacted by punching the inmate three times in the face and head before jail staff stopped him.

The inmate was restrained when Cude punched him. Cude was not charged with anything in the case, court records show.

Hepatitis C is a virus that can be spread through blood contact from an infected person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It cannot be spread through saliva.