By JASON LEVY
KLETC
Twenty-three new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on July 1st at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.
Officer Andrew Lee of the Riley County Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Sheriff Russ Thorton of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Rob McClarty, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the Class Coordinator for the 295th Basic Training Class.
Officers Julia Raymann and Justin Smithson of the Riley County Police Department were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll for achieving an overall academic average of 94percent or higher. Officer Raymann was also the recipient of the Larry Welch Award of Academic Excellence for having the highest overall academic score of 96.35 percent. Officers Raymann and Smithson, along with Officer Toney Asquith of the Galena Police Department, were inducted into KLETC’s 200 Mile Club. Officer Asquith also received the Fitness Medal for having completed 239.23 miles as a member of the 200 Mile Club. Officer T.J. Powell from the Hutchinson Police Department was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class’ “Top Shot.”
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, KLETC 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. KLETC offers continuing education and specialized training to over 10,000 Kansas officers each year. KLETC is located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, and is a division of the University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.
The graduates, who began their training in March 2022, represented multiple municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
Cherokee County
Toney Asquith - Galena Police Department
Garrett Gayoso - Cherokee County Sheriff's Office
Cowley County
Lucas Lyons - Arkansas City Police Department
Crawford County
Teddy Laubengayer - Pittsburg Police Department
Ellis County
Tate Bartlett - Hays Police Department
Finney County
Riley Muniz - Finney County Sheriff’s Office
Kingman County
Cody Bartel - Kingman Police Department
Labette County
Devin Wisdom - Parsons Police Department
Leavenworth County
Lee Addison - Lansing Police Department
Miami County
Alexander LaFrance - Miami County Sheriff's Office
Ottawa County
Garrett Kimminau - Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office
Pawnee County
Samuel Sullivan - Larned Police Department
Pottawatomie County
Terry Voight - Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
Pratt County
Noah Tatro - Pratt Police Department
Reno County
Tristen Ryan - South Hutchinson Police Department
Thomas Powell - Hutchinson Police Department
Riley County
Justin Smithson - Riley County Police Department
Julia Raymann - Riley County Police Department
Andrew Lee - Riley County Police Department
Sedgwick County
Jai’Schaun Brown - Wichita State University Police Department
Seward County
Carlos Mora - Seward County Sheriff’s Office
Stafford County
Michael Sanders - St. John Police Department
Sumner County
Tyler Stover - Sumner County Sheriff’s Office