365th Basic Training Class graduates from Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
HUTCHINSON — Friday the 13th proved to be a lucky day for the 365th Basic Training Class at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. After 14 weeks of training, the students reached their goal of becoming sworn law enforcement officers. Friends and family filled Integrity Hall to celebrate the graduates and mark the occasion.
Senior Police Instructor Bryan Carey introduced the class. Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins addressed the graduates and encouraged them to make integrity a cornerstone of their careers in law enforcement.
“I've learned over the years that leadership isn't always about having the right answer. It's about having the integrity to do what's right, even when it's difficult. It's about being willing to admit when you've made a mistake,” Hawkins said. “It's about holding yourself to the same standards that you expect of others, and it's about remembering that the trust people place in you must be earned every single day.”
Class President Kara Thompson, an officer with the McPherson Police Department, also addressed her fellow graduates, reflecting on the responsibility that comes with a career in public service.
“In this profession, and I think I speak for many, we don't do it for ourselves. We do it to serve our communities. Sometimes we meet people on their worst days. Other times, we give people hope for a better day. On each call, we show up and try to make a difference. That won't always be easy, but having the opportunity to try means it all,” Thompson said.
The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, a division of the University of Kansas since 1968, 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 365th Basic Training Class graduates
Awards in Italics:
- Avery Daymen, Colby Police Department, Thomas County
- Aaron Brown, Baldwin City Police Department, Douglas County
- Griffin Day, Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marion County
- Dalton Guilfoil, Saline County Sheriff's Office, Saline County
- Brandt Hagen, Norton County Sheriff's Office, Norton County
- Shawn Lackey, Oswego Police Department, Labette County
- Chad Peters, Elk County Sheriff's Office, Elk County
- Wyatt Samuels, Marion County Sheriff's Office, Marion County
- Emma Shepherd, Lyons Police Department, Rice County
- Matthew Sostarich, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt County: Honors
- Kara Thompson, McPherson Police Department, McPherson County: Class President
- Brian Weis, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Hamilton County
