YODER – Forty-four new law enforcement officers were congratulated by Eric K. Jackson, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, during their graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Oct. 23.
The new officers were members of the 236th basic training class at the center. Located near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Continuing Education.
The graduates, who began their training July 20, represented 36 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 the 14-week basic training program. The center offered continuing education and specialized training to as many as 5,600 Kansas officers each year. Funding for the training center is generated from court docket fees from municipal and state courts. No funds from the state’s general revenue are used to operate the center.
Northwest Kansas graduates included:
Ellis County
Hays Police Department; Dakota Reese; patrol officer; Hays
Hays Police Department; Mackenzie Smith; patrol officer; Hays
Rooks County
Plainville Police Department; Cody Deutscher; patrol officer; Plainville
Scott County
Scott City Police Department; Michael McEachern; patrol officer; Scott City
Wichita County
Wichita County Sheriff’s Office; Ali Mendoza; deputy; Leoti