Before 1939, criminals could disappear across county lines in Kansas, leaving a cold trail for police to follow.

“Before the creation of the KBI, law enforcement jurisdiction generally ended at the city limits or at the county line,” said Larry Welch, former Director at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Welch joined in on the KSAL Morning News Wednesday with a look at  his upcoming presentation in Salina about the KBI. Welch said the Bureau was given the go ahead after months of discussion by state officials.

“They were created by a very reluctant legislature, because they feared the concept of state police at that time, Welch said.

“It kind of mirrored the creation of the Texas Rangers about a century earlier.”

Welch, the author of Beyond Cold Blood: The KBI from Ma Barker to the BTK, will be presenting a behind the scenes look at the KBI during a two part series at the Smoky Hill Museum beginning Thursday, October 6th and part two on November 3rd.

Welch served in the FBI from 1961 to 1986 and led the Kansas Bureau of Investigation from 1994 until 2007.

Both events are 5:30pm to 6:30pm and are free to attend.

The museum notes that the nature of the material may not be appropriate for junior high aged students and younger.