Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center Graduates 274th Basic Training Class

Twenty-seven new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on February 26th at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.

Deputy Luke Davis of the Gray County Sheriff’s Office was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief Nelson Mosley of the Rose Hill Police Department. Mike Satterlee, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the Class Coordinator for the 274th Basic Training Class.

Officer Samantha Snell of the Galena Police Department was recognized by KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck and awarded a KLETC Certificate of Commendation for her actions in the performance of her duties. Officer Snell, along with Officer Grant of the Galena Police Department, risked their lives on January 18th, 2021, in an attempt to save victims of a fiery two-vehicle head-on crash. Officer Grant will be recognized when he graduates on March 19th, 2021.

Jonathon Dunfee of the Kansas City Public Schools Police Department was also 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 University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.

The graduates, who began their training in October 2020, represented 23 municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Brown

• Brock Becker - Horton Police Department
• Chance Johansen - Hiawatha Police Department

Butler

• Peyton Heidebrecht - Rose Hill Police Department

Cherokee

• Samantha Snell - Galena Police Department

Douglas

• Andrew Miller - University of Kansas Police Department
• Austin Kost - Eudora Police Department

Ellis

• Lindsey Clayton - Hays Police Department

Franklin

• Andrew Dougan - Ottawa Police Department

Grant

• Neal Baker - Ulysses Police Department

Gray

• Luke Davis - Gray County Sheriff’s Office

Johnson

• Darien Willis - Kansas City Public Schools Police Department
• Jonathon Dunfee - Kansas City Public Schools Police Department

Kiowa

• Sean Kost - Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office

Leavenworth

• Derrick Weller - Lansing Police Department

Lyon

• Benjamin Folks - Lyon County Sheriff’s Office

Pottawatomie

• Luis Vargas Baez - St. George Police Department

Rawlins

• Michael Runkle - Rawlins County Sheriff’s Office

Reno

• Michael Mendez - Reno County Sheriff’s Office
• Adam Scalisi - Reno County Sheriff’s Office
• Camron Hurley - Hutchinson Police Department

Saline

• Trenton Shaft - Saline County Sheriff’s Office

Seward

• Malerie Denson - Liberal Police Department

Sherman

• Tanner Feasel - Goodland Police Department
• Chalee Luther - Goodland Police Department

Thomas

• Justin Barber - Colby Police Department

Washington

• Kolt Cooper - Washington County Sheriff’s Office
• Joshua Kramer - Washington County Sheriff’s Office