LAWRENCE — Twenty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Feb 14. Jennifer Richner of the Edwardsville Police Department was the graduating class president, and Sheriff Andrew Dedeke from Leavenworth County was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
The new officers were members of the 262nd basic training class. The graduates, who began their training in October 2019, represented 14 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.
Under a new class format that launched in fall 2019, basic training classes start more frequently and feature smaller group sizes, with a new class starting every three weeks.
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 University of Kansas Professional & Continuing Education.
Northwest Kansas graduates included:
Ellis County
- Andrew Sheely, Fort Hays State University Police Department
Osborne County
- Matthew Pasilas, Osborne Police Department