La Cygne police chief resigns as city adds newly trained full-time officer

La Cygne Police Chief Zachary Mathies has announced his resignation, with Aug. 6, 2026, scheduled as his final day. Mathies announced the decision July 27 after serving as the city’s police chief for two years.

Mathies also held La Cygne’s codes-enforcement role. His departure will create a change in both the police department’s leadership and the city’s code-enforcement responsibilities.

At the same time, La Cygne has added Joshua Higgins as a new full-time police officer. Higgins recently graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, completing the academy training associated with his appointment to the department.

Staffing changes discussed by council

The personnel changes were discussed during the La Cygne City Council’s July 15 meeting. That meeting came before Mathies’ resignation announcement and the identification of Higgins as the city’s new full-time officer.

The two developments represent separate changes for the department. Mathies’ announcement concerns the scheduled departure of the police chief, while Higgins’ appointment adds a newly trained officer to the department.

Higgins has been identified as a full-time officer, not as Mathies’ replacement. The city has not identified him as the next police chief, and the public announcement did not set out whether La Cygne plans to appoint an interim or permanent successor.

What is known about the transition

Mathies is scheduled to remain in the chief’s position through Aug. 6. That date is the next announced change in the department’s leadership.

The resignation announcement did not identify a reason for Mathies’ decision. It also did not provide a timetable for selecting the department’s next chief. The city’s next announcement on the position will determine how the department’s leadership is arranged after Mathies leaves.

For La Cygne residents, the timing means the department is preparing for the departure of a two-year chief while incorporating a newly graduated full-time officer. The city’s police personnel changes were discussed by the council before the resignation was announced, giving the department a sequence of developments that began with the July 15 meeting and continued with Mathies’ July 27 announcement.

La Cygne is a city in Linn County, Kansas. The city’s police department will reach the scheduled leadership change on Aug. 6, while Higgins’ addition brings academy-trained personnel into the department’s full-time ranks.