Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center Graduates 296th Basic Training Class

Twenty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on July 29th at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium. 

Officer Spencer Putman of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief Karl Oakman of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the Class Coordinator for the 296th Basic Training Class.

Officer Ryan Lies of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks along with Deputy Irlick Moreno of the Rice County Sheriff’s Office were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll. Deputy Moreno was additionally awarded the Larry Welch Academic Award for having the highest GPA in the class. Officer Tyler Hynes was awarded the Fitness Medal for having the most miles completed (223.8) and for having the most improvement on his physical assessments. Officer Ryan Lies from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class’ “Top Shot”.

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, KLETC 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. KLETC offers continuing education and specialized training to over 10,000 Kansas officers each year. KLETC is located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, and is a division of the University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.

The graduates, who began their training in April 2022, represented multiple municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Cherokee

Joshua Davis - Galena Police Department

 

Dickinson

Spencer Garten - Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office

 

Douglas

Cory Roberson - Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Kyle Zeller - Douglas County Sheriff's Office

 

Finney

Kalu Elmu - Garden City Police Department

Matthew McGarth - Garden City Police Department

 

Franklin

Jason Hedges - Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

 

Geary

Tyler Hynes - Grandview Plaza Police Department

 

Harvey

Carter James - Newton Police Department

 

Pottawatomie

Eric Shepard - Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office

 

Pratt

Ryan Lies - Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Spencer Putman - Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

 

Reno

Vincent Beaudoin - Hutchinson Police Department

 

Republic

Brooke Poppe - Belleville Police Department

 

Rice

Irlick Moreno - Rice County Sheriff’s Office

 

Sedgwick

Austin Barrett - Haysville Police Department

Bryan Tuxhorn - Cheney Police Department

 

Sumner

Laura Freeman - Oxford Police Department

 

Thomas

Landon Skolout - Colby Police Department

 

Wyandotte

Jonathan Cortes - Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

Elijah Ming - Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office