KLETC announces 260th law enforcement training graduating class
YODER (Jan. 15, 2020) – Twenty-two new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Dec. 20. Independence Police Chief Jerry Harrison was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
The new officers were members of the 260th basic training class at the center. Located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Professional & Continuing Education.
The graduates, who began their training Sept. 9, 2019, represented 20 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas.
Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.
Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968, the center trains the majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas and oversees the training of the remaining officers at seven authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
About 300 officers enroll annually in KLETC 14-week basic training programs. The center offers continuing education and specialized training to over 10,000 Kansas officers each year.
Graduates who granted permission to release their names are listed below by county and agency.
Brown County
- Sabetha Police Department in Sabetha, KS – Daniel Ross, patrol officer
Finney County
- Finney County Sheriff's Office in Garden City, KS – Alejandro Marin, deputy
Franklin County
- Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Ottawa, KS – Jacon Geist, Evan Macklin, deputies
Geary County
- Grandview Plaza Police Department in Harper, KS - Kevin Reyes, patrol officer
- Junction City Police Department in Junction City, KS – Derrick Davis, patrol officer
Gove County
- Gove County Sheriff's Office in Gove, KS - Cory Romanowski, deputy
Hamilton County
- Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Syracuse, KS – Morgan Thompson, deputy
Jackson County
- Jackson County Sheriff's Office in Holton, KS – Chadwick Ballenger, deputy
Labette County
- Parsons Police Department in Parsons, KS – Christian Smith, patrol officer
Lyon County
- Emporia Police Department in Emporia, KS – Austin Nelson, patrol officer
Marion County
- Marion County Sheriff's Office in Marion, KS - Joshua Meliza, deputy
McPherson County
- Moundridge Police Department in Moundridge, KS - Ian Donovan, patrol officer
Montgomery County
- Independence Police Department in Independence, KS – Justin Ward, patrol officer
Neosho County
- Neosho County Sheriff's Department in Erie, KS - Aaron Favela, deputy
Ness County
- Ness County Sheriff's Office in Ness City, KS - Casey Clutts, deputy
Sedgwick County
- Clearwater Police Department in Clearwater, KS - Austin Little, patrol officer
- Park City Police Department in Park City, KS - Steven Unruh, patrol officer
Smith County
- Smith County Sheriff's Office in Smith Center, KS - Bubba Dowling, deputy
Stafford County
- St. John Police Department in St. John, KS – Tori Perez, patrol officer
Woodson County
- Woodson County Sheriff's Office in Yates Center, KS, Clayton Bynum, deputy
Learn more about the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
About the University of Kansas Professional & Continuing Education
KU Professional & Continuing Education supports the teaching, research and public service missions of the University, contributing to postgraduate professional education, workforce development, distance learning and quality of life for Kansans and worldwide communities. Other programming within Professional & Continuing Education includes Professional Programs, Aerospace Short Courses, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute. Combined, these programs teach more than 30,000 individuals a year in every county in Kansas, across the United States and internationally. It is headquartered at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, Kansas.
About the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968 as the central law enforcement training facility for our state, the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) serves as the headquarters for all law enforcement training in Kansas. Located at the former naval air station south of Hutchinson and west of Yoder in Reno County, Kansas, the Center’s mission, as expressed in the Law Enforcement Training Act, K.S.A. 74-5601 et. seq. is “the promotion and development of improved law enforcement personnel and procedures throughout the state, and the training center shall offer to qualified applicants such programs and courses of instruction designed to fulfill this end.” KLETC directly trains the overwhelming majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas, and oversees, supervises and monitors the training of the remaining officers at eight authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
