KLETC Graduates the 334th Basic Training Class in Final Ceremony of 2024
Photos by Jeff Tuttle
The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) celebrated the last graduation of 2024 on December 13 as the 334th Basic Training Class bid farewell to the academy. Family and friends filled the auditorium to witness the officers take their oaths and prepare to serve their respective communities.
KLETC Police Instructor Senior Nef Torres, the class coordinator, introduced the graduates. He was followed by Kansas Speaker Pro Tempore Blake Carpenter, who expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to address the class. Carpenter remarked, “today, we honor your hard work, perseverance, and dedication to serve and protect. Each of you sitting here has answered a call that is not for the faint of heart. You’ve chosen a path where courage and compassion walk hand in hand, where service to others takes precedence over self-interest, and where the promise to uphold justice becomes your guiding principle.”
Class President Derek Bigus of the Overland Park Police Department also addressed the audience, reflecting on the dedication shown by his class over the past 16 weeks. “It takes an extremely courageous person to don the badge and gun and answer the calling of this profession,” Bigus said. “I appreciate those who came before us, paving the way for us to follow. Your advice, training, experience, mentorship, and leadership will guide us as the next generation of law enforcement.”
Under the authority of Vice Provost and Director of Police Training Darin Beck, graduates received certificates attesting the satisfactory completion of a full-time basic course of instruction, and certification as Kansas law enforcement officers from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s Law enforcement licensing authority.
The following are the graduates of the 334th basic training class:
*Awards and honors in italic
Nathan Ayres, Prairie Band Pottawatomi Tribal Police
Derek Bigus, Overland Park Police Department: Class President, Honors, Fitness Award
Marcus Chancellor, Derby Police Department
Robert Crabtree, Tonganoxie Police Department
Edward Donovan, Allen County Sheriff's Office
Darrell Gustin, Hays Police Department
Ricardo Herrera, Baldwin City Police Department
Bayler Jaynes, Arma Police Department
Korbin Kalgren, Pittsburg Police Department
Jesus Lara, Prairie Band Pottawatomi Tribal Police: Fitness Award
Riley Lemcke, Pittsburg Police Department
Ryan Lewis, Smith County Sheriff's Office
Christopher McAloon, University of Kansas Police Department
Mattingly Milledge, Park City Police Department
Joseph Pereira, Overland Park Police Department
Yasmine Prukop, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office
Leslie Rios, Coffeyville Police Department
Alexa Rogers, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Matthew Schrick, Marshall County Sheriff's Office
Alexis Scofield, Chetopa Police Department
Andrew Steele, Pawnee County Sheriff's Office
Kinsey Stuewe, Overland Park Police Department: Fitness Award, Most Improved
Alex Vincent, Junction City Police Department: Fitness Award
