HUTCHINSON — Twenty-four new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Oct. 22 at a ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
Officer Justin Atchison of the Wellsville Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Jeff Hooper, chief of police for the Hutchinson Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 284th Basic Training Class.
Deputy Francisco Guerrero of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office was honored with KLETC’s Fitness Award. Officer Justin Dutcher of the Sac & Fox Tribal 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 the University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education.
The graduates, who began their training in July 2021, represented 19 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
Brown
Justin Dutcher, Sac & Fox Tribal Police Department
Butler
Neil Kline, Andover Police Department
James Nelson, Andover Police Department
Barbara Altier-Riera, El Dorado Police Department
Cherokee
Saul Farfan-Ulloa, Columbus Police Department
Coffey
Alliccia Breeze, Coffey County Sheriff’s Office
Crawford
Seirra Roberts, Arma Police Department
Douglas
John Matthews, Eudora Police Department
Ellis
Erin Lokke, Hays Police Department
Finney
Crystal Lopez, Finney County Sheriff’s Office
Edwardo Valdez, Garden City Police Department
Randy Cole, Garden City Police Department
Jacob Erickson, Garden City Police Department
Franklin
Justin Atchison, Wellsville Police Department
Jackson
Maverick Ohlde, Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police
Lyon
Collin Brozek, Lyon County Sheriff’s Office
Meade
Francisco Guerrero, Meade County Sheriff’s Office
Pratt
Dennis Zoglmann, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Reno
Dalton Leonard, Hutchinson Police Department
Stephen Jackson, Hutchinson Police Department
Riley
Jennifer Pepe, Riley County Police Department
Gage Whitmore, Riley County Police Department
Trego
Liam Kieft, WaKeeney Police Department
Wilson
Louis Cottrell-D’Esposito, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.
Contact: Jason Levy, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, 620-694-1400, [email protected]
