Kansas Law Enforcement Center announces May graduates

YODER – Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter congratulated 52 new law enforcement officers during their graduation from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) Friday, May 24.

The new officers were members of the 223rd basic training class at the center. Located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Continuing Education.

The graduates, who began their training Feb. 18, represented 41 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.

Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968, the center 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 the 14-week basic training program. The center offered continuing education and specialized training to as many as 5,600 Kansas officers each year. Funding for the training center is generated from court docket fees from municipal and state courts. No funds from the state’s general revenue are used to operate the center.

Graduates who granted permission to release their names are listed below by county.

Barton County

Great Bend

Great Bend Police Department; Logan Hall; patrol officer

Hoisington

Hoisington Police Department; Alex Lomas; patrol officer

Bourbon County

Fort Scott

Fort Scott Police Department; James Birket; patrol officer

Butler County

El Dorado

Butler County Sheriff's Office; Randal Mason; deputy

Cherokee County

Columbus

• Cherokee County Sheriff's Office; Tina Blockburger; deputy
• Cherokee County Sheriff's Office; Nicholas Irwin; deputy

Comanche County

Coldwater

Comanche County Sheriff's Department; Angela Brown; deputy

Cowley County

Winfield

• Winfield Police Department; Katasha Bledsoe; patrol officer
• Cowley County Sheriff’s Department; Warner Richardson; deputy

Crawford County

Frontenac

Frontenac Police Department; Louis Bonner; patrol officer

Pittsburg

Pittsburg Police Department; Stephen Aronhalt; patrol officer

Decatur County

Oberlin

Oberlin Police Department; Brad Messersmith; patrol officer

Dickinson County

Abilene

Abilene Police Department; Matthew Badalucco; patrol officer

Doniphan County

White Cloud

Iowa Tribal Police Department; Robert Keller; patrol officer

Ellis County

Ellis

Ellis Police Department; Emmett Casey; patrol officer

Hays

Fort Hays State University Police Department; Joshua Fleenor; patrol officer

Ford County

Dodge City

Dodge City Police Department; Bradley Machiela; patrol officer

Franklin County

Ottawa

Franklin County Sheriff's Office; Ryan Neiswender; deputy

Geary

Grandview Plaza

Grandview Plaza Police Department; John Lytle; patrol officer

Junction City

• Junction City Police Department; Odette Johnson; patrol officer
• Junction City Police Department; Adam Nicholson; patrol officer
• Junction City Police Department; Troy Watson; patrol officer

Labette County

Oswego

Oswego Police Department; Toby Wertz; patrol officer

Lane County

Dighton

Lane County Sheriff’s Department; Justin Pierce; deputy

Leavenworth County

Lansing

Lansing Police Department; Zachary Stamper; patrol officer

Leavenworth

Leavenworth Police Department; Justin Elmer; patrol officer

Leavenworth Police Department; Trevor Harrison; patrol officer

Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office; Zachariah Phillips; deputy

Leavenworth Police Department; Matthew Stawarz; patrol officer

Tonganoxie

Tonganoxie Police Department; Sarah Gumpert; patrol officer

Lyon County

Emporia

Emporia Police Department; Tera Titus; deputy

Neosho County

Chanute

Chanute Police Department; Harry Miller; patrol officer

Pawnee County

Larned

Pawnee County Sheriff's Office; Kelon Parr; deputy

Pratt County

Pratt

• Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism; Tracy Cikanek; natural resource officer
• Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism; Jacob Coulter; natural resource officer; Pratt 

Russell County

Russell

Russell Police Department; Jordan Harrison; patrol officer

Riley County

Manhattan

• Riley County Police Department; Timothy Jung; patrol officer
• Riley County Police Department; Ondre Miles; patrol officer
• Riley County Police Department; Bethany Patrick; patrol officer
• Riley County Police Department; Jon Wood; patrol officer

Seward County

Liberal

• Liberal Police Department; Daisey Garcia; patrol officer
• Liberal Police Department; Israel Nieves; patrol officer

Sedgwick-Sumner County

Mulvane

Mulvane Police Department; Steven Shields; patrol officer

Wellington

Wellington Police Department; Joshua Meyer; patrol officer

Thomas County

Colby

• Colby Police Department; Chelston Ketting; patrol officer
• Thomas County Sheriff’s Office; Jonathon Schroeder; deputy

Wabaunsee County

Alma

Wabaunsee County Sheriff's Office; Kylor Kraus; deputy

Wyandotte County

Kansas City

• Kansas City Kansas Community College Campus Police; Peter Gregory; patrol officer
• Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department; Michael Simmons; deputy
• Kansas City Kansas Community College Campus Police; Cameron Roland; patrol officer.