MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training has revoked the law enforcement certification of former South Hutchinson Police Chief Darrin Pickering after finding he exploited his position to establish a sexual relationship with a woman he met during the execution of a search warrant.
The commission issued a summary order revoking the certification of Darrin Pickering, who had been employed as a full-time officer with the South Hutchinson Police Department from April 1, 2019, through April 13, 2026.
According to the order, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation was contacted June 20 after a woman identified in the document by the initials A.K. made allegations of sexual misconduct and intimidation involving Pickering.
The commission said A.K. told investigators she first met Pickering when officers executed a search warrant at her residence and place of employment. Methamphetamine was found during the search, according to the order.
The document says Pickering and A.K. discussed exchanging information for consideration on the drug charge. The commission found Pickering then began texting the woman. She described the messages as “flirtatious” and said Pickering told her she was pretty and that he liked the way she dressed.
According to the commission's findings, Pickering and A.K. met days after the search and had sexual intercourse in his office. The order says the two had sexual relations on at least one other occasion and had not known each other before the search warrant was executed.
The commission concluded Pickering violated Kansas regulations defining unprofessional conduct as exploiting or misusing an officer's position to establish or attempt to establish a financial, social, sexual, romantic, physical, intimate or emotional relationship. It specifically found that Pickering exploited his law enforcement position to establish or attempt to establish a sexual, physical or intimate relationship with A.K.
The commission ordered Pickering's law enforcement certification revoked and directed him to surrender all evidence of his certification. The summary order was dated Sept. 11, 2026.