Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center Graduates 270th Basic Training Class

Twenty-seven new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Oct 30th.

By: Jason Levy

Twenty-seven new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on October 30th at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.

Briley Rivers, a deputy at the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, was the graduating class president. Troy Livingston, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police and Class Coordinator for the 270th Basic Training Class, was the speaker for the ceremony.

KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck stands with the Class President of the 270th basic training class, Briley Rivers.

Ryan Hanhardt of the Great Bend Police Department was recognized as the class’ “Top Shot”. Jacob Pewthers was the recipient of the KLETC Fitness Award.

Jacob Pewthers of the Seward County Sheriff's Office, Jordan Pacheco of the Emporia Police Department, and Briley Rivers of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office walked, ran, or biked more than 200 miles during their time at KLETC and were honored as a members of the 200 Mile Club.

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 University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.

The graduates, who began their training in July 2020, represented 21 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates who granted permission to release their names are listed below by county and agency:

Barber

Shay Farr - Barber County Sheriff’s Office
Sarah Boor - Medicine Lodge Police Department
Sarah Disanza - Medicine Lodge Police Department

Barton

Dodger Beckham - Barton County Sheriff’s Office
Ryan Hanhardt - Great Bend Police Department

Butler

Angelica Sell - Andover Police Department

Coffey

Brian Siedschlag - Burlington Police Department

Decatur

Richard Blair - Oberlin Police Department

Ford

Justin Moore - Dodge City Police Department
Jose Soto - Dodge City Police Department

Franklin

Brandon Davenport - Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Briley Rivers - Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Clay Thompson - Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

Harvey

Matthew Salmans - Newton Police Department

Kingman

Brandon Casares - Kingman Police Department
Connick Roe - Kingman Police Department

Leavenworth

Grace Kortchmar - Leavenworth Police Department

Lyon

Megan Burton - Emporia Police Department
Jordan Pacheco - Emporia Police Department

Marion

Joel Womochil - Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Neosho

Jarren Lewis - Neosho County Sheriff’s Office

Ness

Matthew Mettling - Ness County Sheriff’s Office

Sedgwick

Philip Barringer - Mulvane Police Department

Seward

Robby Ebeling - Liberal Police Department
Jacob Pewthers - Seward County Sheriff’s Office

Stafford

Dustin Melton - St. John Police Department

Sumner

Denver Sones - Conway Springs Police Department