Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduates 273rd Basic Training Class

YODER — Twenty-eight new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) Feb. 5 at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.

Shannon Kratt of the Augusta Department of Public Safety was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was the sheriff for Wyandotte County, Donald Ash. Steve McCorkill, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 273rd Basic Training Class. Jarin Watkins from the Coffeyville Police Department was recognized 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 the University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.

The graduates, who began their training in September 2020, represented 17 municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Butler

• Shannon Kratt, Augusta Department of Public Safety

• Amanda Cole, Augusta Department of Public Safety

• Michael Wigart, Augusta Department of Public Safety

Cherokee

• Arlo Leuke, Columbus Police Department

Cowley

• Cory Johnson, Cowley County Sheriff’s Office

• Esther Law, Arkansas City Police Department

• Spencer Warren, Arkansas City Police Department

• William Wollard, Winfield Police Department

• Brennon Marcotte, Winfield Police Department

Ellis

• Braden Parke, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office

Ford

• Adam Granatowski, Dodge City Police Department

Harper

• William Bishop, Harper County Sheriff’s Office

Harvey

• Brad Crochet, Newton Police Department

Kiowa

• Michael Tedder, Kiowa County Sheriff’s Office

Marshall

• Austin Watts, Marysville Police Department

• Bryant Jones, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office

Miami

• Robert McAnany, Miami County Sheriff’s Office

• Dallas Onions, Miami County Sheriff’s Office

• Tristan Geiger Osawatomie Department of Public Safety

Montgomery

• Jarin Watkins, Coffeyville Police Department

• Chance March, Coffeyville Police Department

Saline

• Kalen Ingalsbe, Saline County Sheriff's Office

• Alycia Buchanan, Saline County Sheriff's Office

Wyandotte

• Luis Garcia, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

• Amber Freeman, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

• Jared McGrew, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

• Michael Morse, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office

• Brian Warczkoski, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office.

About the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center

Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968 as the central law enforcement training facility for our state, the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) serves as the headquarters for all law enforcement training in Kansas.  Located at the former naval air station south of Hutchinson and west of Yoder in Reno County, Kansas, the Center’s mission, as expressed in the Law Enforcement Training Act, K.S.A. 74-5601 et. seq. is “the promotion and development of improved law enforcement personnel and procedures throughout the state, and the training center shall offer to qualified applicants such programs and courses of instruction designed to fulfill this end.”  KLETC directly trains the overwhelming majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas, and oversees, supervises and monitors the training of the remaining officers at eight authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Top photo: 273rd Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center Class.
Top right photo: KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck and Class President Shannon Kratt.
Bottom right photo: Executive Director Beck and Sheriff Donald Ash.