KLETC Announces 258th Law Enforcement Training Graduating Class
YODER (Nov. 5, 2019) – Twenty-two new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Nov. 1, 2019. Sheriff Jeff Richards, of the Franklin County Sheriff’s office, was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
The new officers were members of the 258th basic training class at the center, representing the first graduating class of the new 24-person basic training class format. Under the new class format, basic training classes will start more frequently, and feature smaller group sizes, with a new class starting every three weeks. 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 July 29, 2019, represented 21 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 agency.
Barton County
Great Bend Police Department; Matthew Adams; patrol officer; Great Bend
Bourbon County
Fort Scott Police Department; Trey Sharp; special agent; Fort Scott
Butler County
Butler County Sheriff’s Office; Kole Marshall; deputy; El Dorado
Butler Community College Public Safety; Allen Peck; patrol officer; El Dorado
Andover Police Department; James Wilkinson; patrol officer; Andover
Cherokee County
Baxter Springs Police Department; Stephanie McBeth; patrol officer; Baxter Springs
Finney County
Finney County Sheriff’s Office; Ruben Alba; deputy; Garden City
Franklin County
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Brandon Barkley; deputy; Ottawa
Jewell County
Jewell County Sheriff’s Department; Hunter Burger; deputy; Mankato
Kingman County
Kingman County Sheriff’s Office; Matthew Purcell; deputy; Kingman
Miami County
Osawatomie Dept. of Public Safety; Sydney LeStourgeon; patrol officer; Osawatomie
Morton County
Morton County Sheriff’s Department; Craig Harrington; deputy; Elkhart
Osage County
Osage County Sheriff’s Office; James Cason; deputy; Lyndon
Pratt County
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; Spencer Anderson; natural resource officer; Pratt
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; Colter Silhan; natural resource officer; Pratt
Pratt Police Department; Jeremy Stitt; patrol officer; Pratt
Stafford County
Stafford County Sheriff’s Department; Gregory McAlister; deputy; St. John
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.
