KLETC
HUTCHINSON — Twenty-seven new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Feb. 26 at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
Deputy Luke Davis of the Gray County Sheriff’s Office was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief Nelson Mosley of the Rose Hill Police Department. Mike Satterlee, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 274th Basic Training Class.
Officer Samantha Snell of the Galena Police Department was recognized by KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck and awarded a KLETC Certificate of Commendation for her actions in the performance of her duties. Snell, along with Officer Logan Grant of the Galena Police Department, risked their lives on Jan. 18 in an attempt to save victims of a fiery two-vehicle head-on crash. Grant will be recognized when he graduates March 19.
Jonathon Dunfee of the Kansas City Public Schools Police Department was also 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 University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.
The graduates, who began their training in October 2020, represented 23 municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas.
Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
Brown
• Brock Becker, Horton Police Department
• Chance Johansen, Hiawatha Police Department
Butler
• Peyton
Heidebrecht, Rose Hill Police Department
Cherokee
• Samantha
Snell, Galena Police Department
Douglas
• Andrew Miller, KU Public Safety
• Austin Kost, Eudora Police Department
Ellis
• Lindsey
Clayton, Hays Police Department
Franklin
• Andrew
Dougan, Ottawa Police Department
Grant
• Neal
Baker, Ulysses Police Department
Gray
• Luke
Davis, Gray County Sheriff’s Office
Johnson
• Darien Willis, Kansas City Public Schools Police Department
• Jonathon
Dunfee, Kansas City Public Schools Police Department
Kiowa
• Sean
Kost, Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office
Leavenworth
• Derrick
Weller, Lansing Police Department
Lyon
• Benjamin
Folks, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office
Pottawatomie
• Luis
Vargas Baez, St. George Police Department
Rawlins
• Michael Runkle, Rawlins County Sheriff’s Office
Reno
• Michael
Mendez, Reno County Sheriff’s Office
• Adam
Scalisi, Reno County Sheriff’s Office
• Camron
Hurley, Hutchinson Police Department
Saline
• Trenton
Shaft, Saline County Sheriff’s Office
Seward
• Malerie Denson, Liberal Police Department
Sherman
• Tanner Feasel, Goodland Police Department
• Chalee
Luther, Goodland Police Department
Thomas
• Justin Barber, Colby
Police Department
Washington
• Kolt
Cooper, Washington County Sheriff’s Office
• Joshua Kramer, Washington County Sheriff’s Office