YODER — Fifty-nine new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on May 10. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
The new officers were members of the 255th 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 Feb. 4, represented 43 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.
Ellis County
Fort Hays State University Police Department in Hays – Eric Gerard, patrol officer
Norton County
Norton Police Department in Norton – Kaleb Tuxhorn, patrol officer
Atchison County
Atchison Police Department in Atchison – Thomas Moore, patrol officer
Barber County
Medicine Lodge Police Department in Medicine Lodge – Jerry Swart, patrol officer
Brown County
Iowa Tribal Police Department in White Cloud – Nicholas Hilderbrand, patrol officer
Butler County
Rose Hill Police Department in Rose Hill – Stephen Frahm, patrol officer
Butler County Sheriff’s Office in El Dorado – Solomon Snowbarger, deputy
Cherokee County
Galena Police Department in Galena – Kyle West, patrol officer
Cowley County
Winfield Police Department in Winfield – Stephen Linarez, patrol officer
Crawford County
Pittsburg Police Department in Pittsburg – Nicholas Cook and Aaron Jarvis, patrol officers
Douglas County
University of Kansas Police Department in Lawrence – Eli Hodge, patrol officer
Finney County
Garden City Police Department in Garden City – Ofelia Aguero and Julian Garcia, patrol officers
Ford County
Ford County Sheriff’s Department in Dodge City – Morris Jones, deputy
Dodge City Police Department in Dodge City – Dominic Randall, patrol officer
Franklin County
Ottawa Police Department in Ottawa – Holly Ewert, patrol officer
Geary County
Junction City Police Department in Junction City – Zachary Mitchell, patrol officer
Greeley County
Greeley County Sheriff’s Office in Tribune – Garrett Wright, patrol officer
Kingman County
Kingman Police Department in Kingman – Casey Goble, patrol officer
Kiowa County
Kiowa County Sheriff’s Department in Greensburg – Preston Capansky, deputy
Leavenworth County
Leavenworth Police Department in Leavenworth – Jordan Green, Paul Lednicky and Joshua Parrott, patrol officers
Tonganoxie Police Department in Tonganoxie – Eric Janesko, patrol officer
Marion County
Marion County Sheriff’s Department in Marion – Mason Hinz, deputy
Marshall County
Blue Rapids Police Department in Blue Rapids – Christopher Flood, patrol officer
Marysville Police Department in Marysville – Bryant Frerking, patrol officer
Miami County
Miami County Sheriff’s Office in Paola – Willis Miller, patrol officer
Miami County Sheriff’s Office in Paola – Dylan Yinger, deputy
Paola Police Department in Paola – Mitchell Gabbert and Keith Myers, patrol officers
Mitchell County
Beloit Police Department in Beloit – Andrew Mai, patrol officer
Montgomery County
Independence Police Department in Independence – Richard Sherley, patrol officer
Pottawatomie County
Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office in Westmoreland – Cody Smith, patrol officer
Reno County
Hutchinson Police Department in Hutchinson – Trevor Nobbs, patrol officer
Riley County
Riley County Police Department in Manhattan – Kathryn Bunnell, Matthew Horne, Leland O’Brien, James Scotti and Raymond Springer, patrol officers
Saline County
Salina Police Department in Salina – Joshua Groot, Alyssa Rivera and Kyle Truitt, patrol officers
Saline County Sheriff’s Office in Salina – Kevin Shankle, deputy
Sedgwick County
Derby Police Department in Derby – Gabriel Gutierrez, patrol officer
Shawnee County
Kansas Bureau of Investigation in Topeka – Jamie Funk, special agent
Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office in Topeka – Luke Williams, deputy
Wyandotte County
University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department in Kansas City – Adam Drybread and Hanif Gray, patrol officers
Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department in Kansas City – Stephen Dyer and William Green, deputies.