KLETC sends 354th Basic Training Class into law enforcement careers
HUTCHINSON — Integrity Hall was filled March 20 as the 354th Basic Training Class graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
The recruits, representing agencies across Kansas, completed 14 weeks of training. Friends and family gathered to watch them take the oath before returning to their communities to serve as law enforcement officers.
Steve McCorkill, police instructor senior, introduced the class during the ceremony. Col. Erik Smith, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, delivered remarks that focused on the qualities required to succeed in law enforcement and the responsibility graduates now carry.
“Those qualities that brought you here — the discipline, the resilience, the courage — will now become a part of who you are every single day,” Smith said. “There will be moments when you will need to draw upon that strength, moments when you must fight for justice, stand firm in difficult situations and protect those who can’t protect themselves.”
Class President Officer Frederick Klodt of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department also addressed his fellow graduates, emphasizing the importance of carrying forward what they learned during training.
“Take these competencies and wisdom from the instructors with you, stay vigilant, stay humble and always look out for one another,” Klodt said. “Most importantly, in the moments when the shift is long and the challenges are great, always remember your why.”
The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center has been a division of the University of Kansas since 1968 and serves as the state’s central training agency for law enforcement officers.
Under the authority of Darin Beck, vice provost and director of police training, graduates received certificates attesting to the satisfactory completion of a full-time basic course of instruction and certification as Kansas law enforcement officers from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s Law enforcement licensing authority.
The following are the graduates of the 354th basic training class
Awards in parentheses:
Butler County
Travis Scarborough, Butler County Sheriff's Office
Cherokee County
Daniel Lillard, Galena Police Department
Finney County
Demarcus Elliott, Finney County Sheriff's Office
Ford County
Alison Sandoval, Dodge City Police Department
Geary County
Joshua Ferrell, Junction City Police Department
Cory Hamilton, Junction City Police Department
Jarrett Spranger, Junction City Police Department
Jackson County
Frederick Klodt, Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police (class president, Fitness award)
Leavenworth County
Tyler Hamme, Leavenworth Police Department
Nicholas McComas, Leavenworth Police Department (director's honor)
Montgomery County
Christian Ortiz, Independence Police Department
Pratt County
Dylan Hopkins, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (honors)
Rice County
Randi Feemster, Rice County Sheriff's Office
Kade Lovelady, Rice County Sheriff's Office
Saline County
Casey Orshal, Saline County Sheriff's Office
Sedgwick County
Hunter Frizzell, Derby Police Department
Shawnee County
Roger Michels, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Jacob Pressley, MTAA Police & Fire Department
Smith County
Trenton Frydendall, Smith County Sheriff's Office
Wyandotte County
Tyler Walker, University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department.
