KLEAP History

July 2021, the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) applied for and was awarded a grant through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) with the goal of establishing a voluntary state level accreditation program for law enforcement agencies in Kansas. KLETC serves as the facilitator and is uniquely positioned to meet the deliverables because it is not a law enforcement agency thus avoiding any possible conflicts of interest.  At the time of application, Kansas was one of only 14 states that did not have a state-level law enforcement accreditation program.

October 2021, KLETC was notified they had been awarded a two-year grant to establish a state-level law enforcement accreditation program. KLETC hired a Program Manager, Suellyn Hooper who drafted Bylaws for the establishment of the Kansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program’s managing and guiding body, the Kansas Accreditation Council (KAC).

KLETC contacted the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP) and the Kansas Sheriff’s Association (KSA) requesting each organization appoint three Law Enforcement Executive Officers to sit on the Council as Board Members. KLETC requested agencies of all sizes and geographic representation be considered upon selection for appointment to the Council. One additional appointment of a chief executive officer from a law enforcement agency not led by a Sheriff or municipal Chief of Police was made by the Director of Police Training for the State of Kansas, Darin Beck. The remaining two members, permanent appointments to the KAC, will be KLETC staff to assist in facilitating the program. These two council members will be non-voting members and will not be eligible to hold the seats of Chair or Vice Chair.

February 2022, the Kansas Accreditation Council was established. 

Founding Council Members:

Chief Buck Buchanan – Chair

Andover Police Department

KACP Appointment       

Sheriff David A. Falletti – Vice Chair

Cowley County Sheriff's Office

KSA Appointment

Chief Ashley Garza                                                  

WaKeeney Police Department                                   

KACP Appointment                                                    

Ron Gould 

KLETC Deputy Executive Directive

KLETC Staff Appointment

Chief Stuart Hite

University Police Pittsburg State University

Member At Large

Suellyn Hooper

KLEAP Manager

KLETC Staff Appointment

Sheriff Daniel E. Jackson Jr.

Geary County Sheriff's Department

KSA Appointment

Sheriff Jeffrey O. Richards

 Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

KSA Appointment

Chief Robert Spinks                                                

Parsons Police Department                                      

KACP Appointment                                                    

The Kansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program accepted its first applications for state accreditation in August 2022 as Beta Test Agencies. Those agencies include:

Cowley County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff David A Falletti

Franklin County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff Jeffrey Richards

Goodland Police Department - Chief Frank Hayes

Haskell County Sheriff's Office - Sheriff Troy Briggs

Hill City Police Department - Chief Christopher Smee

Hutchinson Police Department - Chief Jeffrey Hooper

Lawrence Police Department - Chief Rich Lockhart

Scott City Police Department - Chief David Post

St. Marys Police Department - Chief Derek Cid

Kansas Law Enforcement Accreditation (KLEAP) is the official Kansas state accrediting body and is facilitated by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) which is responsible for all administrative tasks associated with accreditation.

The Kansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program is a voluntary initiative for professional improvement, fashioned in ways that best meet local needs while simultaneously expressing commitment to professional law enforcement practices.

Standards for the program were developed by law enforcement for law enforcement. The standards are designed to be attainable for all Kansas agencies, regardless of size. The program includes 167 standards, encompassing both mandatory and other-than-mandatory standards, that have specific requirements the agency must address, the actual way the agency meets compliance to the standards is determined by the agency's Chief Law Enforcement Officer.

The program is managed and directed by the Kansas Accreditation Council (KAC). The Council meets quarterly to oversee the accreditation process and to officially accredit agencies that have proven their adherence to the program’s meticulous review process by appointed assessors. A KLETC staff person is dedicated full-time to the program as the Program Manager.