By JASON LEVY
Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
Twenty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Friday at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.
Officer Spencer Putman of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief Karl Oakman of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the Class Coordinator for the 296th Basic Training Class.
Officer Ryan Lies of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Deputy Irlick Moreno of the Rice County Sheriff’s Office were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll. Deputy Moreno was additionally awarded the Larry Welch Academic Award for having the highest GPA in the class. Officer Tyler Hynes was awarded the Fitness Medal for having the most miles completed (223.8) and for having the most improvement on his physical assessments. Officer Ryan Lies from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks 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 April 2022, represented multiple municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
Cherokee County
Joshua Davis - Galena Police Department
Dickinson County
Spencer Garten - Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office
Douglas County
Cory Roberson - Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Kyle Zeller - Douglas County Sheriff's Office
Finney County
Kalu Elmu - Garden City Police Department
Matthew McGarth - Garden City Police Department
Franklin County
Jason Hedges - Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Geary County
Tyler Hynes - Grandview Plaza Police Department
Harvey County
Carter James - Newton Police Department
Pottawatomie County
Eric Shepard - Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
Pratt County
Ryan Lies - Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Spencer Putman - Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Reno County
Vincent Beaudoin - Hutchinson Police Department
Republic County
Brooke Poppe - Belleville Police Department
Rice County
Irlick Moreno - Rice County Sheriff’s Office
Sedgwick County
Austin Barrett - Haysville Police Department
Bryan Tuxhorn - Cheney Police Department
Sumner County
Laura Freeman - Oxford Police Department
Thomas County
Landon Skolout - Colby Police Department
Wyandotte County
Jonathan Cortes - Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office
Elijah Ming - Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office