YODER — Twenty-three new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on May 21 at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
Nicholas Delaney, a deputy at the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office, was the class president for the 278th Basic Training Class. The speaker for the ceremony was chief of police for the Pratt Police Department, Nathan Humble. James Buettgenbach, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 278th Basic Training Class.
Deputy Jacoby Williams of the Saline County Sheriff’s Office was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class’ “Top Shot.” Deputy Jimmy Golden of the Gray County Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Daniel Everhart of the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office walked, ran or biked more than 200 miles during their time at KLETC and exceeded the other physical requirements of the 200 Mile Club, including push-ups, sit-ups and a timed run.
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 January 2021, represented 17 municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
DOUGLAS
• Dallas Hunt, University of Kansas Public Safety
ELLIS
• John Zimmer, Hays Police Department
FORD
• David Brandt, Dodge City Police Department
• Cisco Soto, Dodge City Police Department
GRAY
• Jimmy Golden, Gray County Sheriff’s Office
HAMILTON
• Kevin Reed, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
JEWELL
• Jeremy Luedke, Jewell County Sheriff’s Office
LABETTE
• Gabriel Vitt, Labette County Sheriff’s Office
PAWNEE
• Nicholas Delaney, Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office
PHILLIPS
• Matthew Blair, Phillips County Sheriff’s Office
POTTAWATOMIE
• Francis Schiavo, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
PRATT
• Nicholas Allen, Pratt Police Department
• Clark Besthorn, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
• Jack Gerler, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
• Zachary Porterfield, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
SALINE
• Conner Gies, Saline County Sheriff’s Office
• William Hill, Saline County Sheriff’s Office
• Jacoby Williams, Saline County Sheriff’s Office
SUMNER
• Jeff Miller, Sumner County Sheriff’s Office
THOMAS
• Lucas Taylor, Colby Police Department
TREGO
• Michael DeCore, Trego County Sheriff’s Office
WYANDOTTE
• Jason Hughey, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office
• Daniel Everhart, Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office.
Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968 as the central law enforcement training facility for the 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, KLETC, a unit of the University of Kansas Lifelong & Professional Education, 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.
