KLETC Announces 260th Law Enforcement Training Graduating Class

Twenty-two new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Dec. 20.
KLETC Building

YODER (Jan. 7, 2020) – Twenty-two new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Dec. 20. Independence Police Chief Jerry Harrison was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.

The new officers were members of the 260th basic training class at the center. 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 Sept. 9, 2019, represented 20 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 county and agency.

Brown County

  • Sabetha Police Department in Sabetha, KS – Daniel Ross, patrol officer

Doniphan County

  • Independence Police Department in Independence, KS – Justin Ward, patrol officer

Finney County

  • Finney County Sheriff's Office in Garden City, KS – Alejandro Marin, deputy

Franklin County

  • Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Ottawa, KS – Jacon Geist, Evan Macklin, deputies

Geary County

  • Grandview Plaza Police Department in Harper, KS - Kevin Reyes, patrol officer
  • Junction City Police Department in Junction City, KS – Derrick Davis, patrol officer

Gove County

  • Gove County Sheriff's Office in Gove, KS - Cory Romanowski, deputy

Hamilton County

  • Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in Syracuse, KS – Morgan Thompson, deputy

Jackson County

  • Jackson County Sheriff's Office in Holton, KS – Chadwick Ballenger, deputy

Labette County

  • Parsons Police Department in Parsons, KS – Christian Smith, patrol officer

Lyon County

  • Emporia Police Department in Emporia, KS – Austin Nelson, patrol officer

Marion County

  • Marion County Sheriff's Office in Marion, KS - Joshua Meliza, deputy

McPherson County

  • Moundridge Police Department in Moundridge, KS - Ian Donovan, patrol officer

Neosho County

  • Neosho County Sheriff's Department in Erie, KS - Aaron Favela, deputy

Ness County

  • Ness County Sheriff's Office in Ness City, KS - Casey Clutts, deputy

Sedgwick County

  • Clearwater Police Department in Clearwater, KS - Austin Little, patrol officer
  • Park City Police Department in Park City, KS - Steven Unruh, patrol officer

Smith County

  • Smith County Sheriff's Office in Smith Center, KS - Bubba Dowling, deputy

Stafford County

  • St. John Police Department in St. John, KS – Tori Perez, patrol officer

Woodson County

  • Woodson County Sheriff's Office in Yates Center, KS, Clayton Bynum, deputy