YODER – Sixty-three new law enforcement officers were congratulated by Kansas State University Police Chief Ronnie Grice during their graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on March 18.

The new officers were members of the 238th 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 Continuing Education.

The graduates, who began their training November 30, 2015, represented 53 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 who granted permission to release their names are listed below by agency.

Barton County
Ellinwood Police Department; Jarrod Carr; patrol officer; Ellinwood
Barton County Sheriff’s Office; Michael Pata; deputy; Great Bend

Cheyenne County
Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office; Ann Burr; deputy; St Francis

Phillips County
Phillips County Sheriff’s Office; Kyle Pinkerton; deputy; Phillipsburg
Phillips County Sheriff’s Department; Wesley Tanksley; deputy; Phillipsburg

Rooks County
Rooks County Sheriff’s Office; Dain Carmen; deputy; Stockton

Thomas County
Colby Police Department; Damon Andrews; patrolman; Colby