KLETC honors fallen officers during Police Week memorial service

HUTCHINSON — Students, faculty, and staff at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center gathered May 12 in Integrity Hall to honor fallen law enforcement officers who graduated from KLETC during a memorial service recognizing National Police Week.

The ceremony honored 32 law enforcement officers who attended KLETC and later lost their lives in the line of duty, their legacies preserved on the Memorial Wall lining the hallways of Integrity Hall, where plaques bearing each officer's picture, class and cause of death have honored the fallen since 1972.

Police Instructor Bruce Jolliff presented the ceremony, which included remarks from Allen County Master Deputy Darren Kellerman, an opening prayer from Chaplain Brad Penner of the Newton Police Department and the singing of the national anthem by Deputy Michael Fahrney of the Barton County Sheriff's Office.

During the ceremony, Darin Beck, KLETC vice provost and director of police training, read the names of the 32 fallen officers memorialized during the event.

“Ceremonies and traditions bind us together. They bring us comfort. At times when really there's not much that can bring us comfort, these traditions are important in that way,” Beck said. “It's also important that we not forget those who have made the sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice. Traditions and ceremonies like this today are what keep us from forgetting that we take time, a brief moment, once a year, to remember our fallen colleagues.”

A “Fallen Officer Table” was displayed during the service as a tribute to officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The ceremony also included the unveiling of two lions donated to the memorial by Bruce and Lori Jolliff. Beck thanked the couple for their contribution to the memorial and their continued support of honoring fallen officers.

Below is a list of the 32 officers honored during the memorial service:

• Kenneth M. Kennedy, Hutchinson Police Department
• Larry G Beery, Kingman Police Department
• Jerry R. Ivey, Salina Police Department
• Alvin D. Hallum, Dallas Police Department
• James M. Compton, Indianapolis Police Department
• Archie K. Jacobs, Morton County Sheriff’s Office
• Stephen L. Hopper, Butler County Sheriff’s Office
• Danny D. Laffey, Wichita Police Department
• Alvin T. Wolf, JR., Butler County Sheriff’s Office
• Deanna Hummel Rose, Overland Park Police Department
• Terry W. McNett, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office
• Vladimir I Zharinov, St. Petersburg, Russia Police Department
• John L. Teter, Oxford Police Department
• Daniel D. Trail, Beloit Police Department
• Wilson “Alex” Johnson, Junction City Police Department
• Bret D. Tepe, Ford County Sheriff’s Office
• Matt H. Samuels, Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office
• Kurt A. Ford, Harvey County Sheriff’s Office
• James L. Johnson, Sheridan County Sheriff's Office
• Robert “Tim” Buckman, Macksville Police Department
• Luke D. Nihart, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
• Samuel A. Smith, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
• David E. Enzbrenner, Atchinson Police Department
• Robert “Dave” Melton, Kansas City, KS Police Department
• Brandon S. Collins, Johnson Co. Sheriff’s Office
• Theresa King, Wyandotte Co. Sheriff's Office
• Daniel Abramovitz, Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office
• Allan Weber, Gove County Sheriff's Office
• Stephen Evans, Butler County Sheriff's Office- Burns Police Department
• Brandon Gaede, Phillips County Sheriff's Office
• Elijah Ming, Kansas City Police Department
• Scott Heimann, Hays Police Department.