Trooper Ben

I stand with the innocent.

@TheRealSpin4You I FULLY agree with @kystatepolice 😄👍🏼

Not disagreeing...but I'm calling in THE seatbelt expert on this one. @TrooperBenKs ....agree? 🤔👍 #BuckleUp

Don’t @ me ! 😆

I’m about to order the most well done steak you’ve ever seen in your life! 😆 Not medium. Not medium well. Not even close. I’m talking about a steak cooked with zero mercy. Pictures in the next post shortly. Stay tuned. 🥩🔥

I’m frustrated this morning. I’m hurt. Last night I made a post about @jamestalarico and how the way he speaks, the way he explains things, and the way he talks about love and people has stirred something in me. Something real. Something I have not felt in a long time. It made me feel like my heart was moving a little closer toward God. Then the comments came. This morning I woke up to even more. If you could see some of the direct messages I’ve received… It’s sad. Truly sad. People calling me a communist. People telling me I’m wrong. People acting like my step toward faith only counts if it fits inside their beliefs, their politics, and their box. It’s not non believers doing this. It’s religious people. I have not seen a single message telling me to stay away from God. What I have seen are people telling me how I have to come to God if I want to be accepted. I was just being honest about what I was feeling. I said I felt like I had moved a little closer. Closer… Somehow even that did not feel acceptable. Instead of encouragement, I feel judged. Instead of grace, I feel corrected. Instead of being pulled closer, I feel pushed back. If someone says they feel a little closer to God, why would that not be met with kindness? Jesus is not a Democrat. Jesus is not a Republican. What keeps speaking to my heart is simple. ➡️ Love thy neighbor ⬅️ Some of you think you are defending faith. But what it feels like on this side is that you are pushing someone away who was taking a small step closer… That is where I am this morning. Frustrated.

@jamestalarico I have said many times that my path with religion faded over the years. Slowly drifted farther away. 😔 When I hear James speak, I feel pulled back toward something I have missed for a long time. Toward faith. Toward grace. Toward love for other people. There is something about the way he speaks that reaches me deeply. Let me say that word again “deeply” He does not make me feel judged. He does not make me feel pushed. He makes me want to move closer to Christ. That is the best way I know how to say it… His words sound like the kind of faith I have been LONGING to hear. Compassion. Humility. Helps people instead of hurting them. I stand with him and with anybody else who wants to help move this country toward a kinder, better America. 🇺🇸 Be safe, Trooper Ben #HelpMore

Far too many Kansas traffic fatalities in recent weeks involved people not wearing seatbelts. Plenty of single-vehicle rollovers in rural areas, some leading to ejections. Wear seatbelts. @kshighwaypatrol @SAFEks @DriveSafeKansas @TrooperBenKs @KDOTHQ @NHTSAgov @KansasTurnpike

Join me!! #OverallsForAll 😀

There is just something good about getting out after a long winter. Today I took my father in law out of the retirement center and down to a local coffee shop for a little walk and a little time together. With the weather finally being a little nicer, it felt like the right day to get him out and enjoy a change of scenery. On the way there, we talked the whole time about all the different coffee drinks they could make for him. Lately, his drink of choice has been hot chocolate. But I talked him into trying what I ordered. He rejected it immediately. 😄 No hesitation. No second sip. Just a quick nope. We both laughed. 😆 Honestly, that was probably the best part of the day so far. Seeing him laugh 😌 #HelpMore

Be honest… have you seen a Jeep Wrangler with better ducks than this? #jeeplife #TMNT

Chuck Norris passing made me think… We all know there are people in America who feel almost permanent. Even though we know nobody lives forever, it is hard to picture a day when they are no longer here. My wife and I were talking about that, and the first two names we brought up were Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. There are just certain people who are so well known, and so much a part of American life that when their day comes, everybody will be talking about them. Not because we want that day to come, but because that is how much they have connected to so many. So now I’m curious. Who is that person for you? Who is someone so recognizable and so loved that when their day comes, the whole country will be talking about them all day long? 🤔

There comes a time in life when you realize the biggest wins are no longer just about the person who earned them. They become about the people who loved them, prayed for them, cheered for them, and wished with all their heart they could have been there to see it in person. This year, Parker won another state wrestling championship at 215 pounds during his senior season. As his dad, I could not be more proud of what he accomplished. In years past, Grandpa had been there, cheering Parker on at wrestling tournaments and loving every second of watching his grandson compete. This year, because of his health, he could not make the trip to Salina for Parker’s final state tournament. That was hard. Hard on him. Hard on all of us. Before the tournament, Grandpa had one request. If Parker won, he hoped the state bracket could be hung in his room so he could look at it every day and feel proud of his grandson. Parker did not hesitate. He wanted Grandpa to have it. So today, we hung that bracket on the wall right above Grandpa’s bed. Now when he looks up, he can see it. He can smile at it. He can talk about it. He can even reach up and touch it. Out of all the places that bracket could have gone… Not tucked away. Not saved for himself. Not put somewhere for the world to admire. He wanted it in the room of a man who loves him deeply, and who has spent years cheering him on. That is bigger than wrestling. That is family. That is love. That is pride. That is a grandson giving part of one of the biggest moments of his life to his grandpa. Tonight, that bracket is hanging right where it belongs. #HelpMore

I love sharing the real moments from my day, and this was one… Tonight, I keep going back to one house in McPherson. It was our first curb of the day in Mac, but it became so much more than that. The woman there knew me from years ago. Back then, I helped her install a child seat in her car. She has followed my career through the years and has even followed this next chapter of my life after retirement. A few days ago, she reached out and asked if Jersey and I could paint her house numbers on her curb. When we got there, it became a moment 🥹 We visited for a bit and remembered the past. Then she asked if we could add a small blue heart next to her house numbers in memory of her son, Jeremy Watkins, who passed away in April of 2019. Jeremy was a Sergeant and a 20 year veteran of the Salina Police Department. As we stood there talking, she showed me her new car and told me she knew it was the one because it had a thin blue line across the dash. She also showed me the blue lights on her garage and shared that they have stayed lit for years as another way to remember her son. You could see it so clearly. She still finds simple, personal ways to keep his memory close. Then she asked if we could add that blue heart. 🩵 Jersey and I had never done that before. But in that moment, it just felt right. We also offered to repaint her faded paw prints, and she wanted that too. All day long, I have kept thinking about that driveway. That blue heart. That car. Those blue garage lights. And a mother. What looked like a simple curb painting job turned into one of those memorable moments. I’m glad Jersey was with me for it. I’m glad we said yes. #HelpMore #ThinBlueLine Be safe, Trooper Ben

First Jeep YJ ride of 2026 with the top off and the doors off! 🙌🏼 Gosh, this warm weather feels amazing. When you pair sunshine with a Jeep, the open roadway, no top, and no doors, it just makes the day even better. Jersey and I also got a significant amount of curbs painted today. We are now done for today, but we will be busy at it again Thursday, Friday, and a little bit on Saturday. There is just something special about a day spent being productive, enjoying good weather, and then getting behind the wheel of an old Jeep and taking it all in. That is a pretty good day in my book. #JeepYJ #HelpMore #CurbPainting Be safe, Trooper Ben #HelpMore

@ShoreSaw Really 🤔 I figured the greaseable one were better?

@TrooperBenKs I only run the non greasable spicers. Quite a bit stronger

Starting my morning fixing the driveshaft on the Jeep. Blew out the Spicer U joint. 😑 As much as I do not enjoy having to make these repairs, I do ENJOY the fact that I can fix it myself and do not have to hire someone else to do the work. One of the benefits of having an older vehicle is that many of the repairs are still within reach. With a little time, a little effort, and maybe a couple YouTube videos, you can usually figure out what needs to be done and get yourself back on the road.

@MarkOutlaw42069 It’s went quickly! 😄

@TrooperBenKs Now Trooper Ben. You had to have felt that coming.

@joecamel90 It went quickly! STRONG VIBRATIONS

@TrooperBenKs How much noise was that making and for how long?

Working on my Jeep YJ again today. Had to modify a small piece to get it to fit right back into place on the doors. I have always been a fan of YJs. Some people give them a hard time because of the rectangular headlights, but I think that is exactly how a Jeep should look. Boxy, square, and rugged!! That style just fits. I enjoy learning how to fix these little things myself. Shop labor adds up fast. I would rather spend time in the garage, learn the process, and keep this old YJ going. Be safe, Trooper Ben #HelpMore