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Editors: Note graduates from agencies in Allen, Barton, Butler, Crawford, Ellis, Finney, Franklin, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Labette, Logan, McPherson, Osborne, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Thomas counties.
Contact: Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, [email protected]
Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduates 300th Basic Training Class
HUTCHINSON — Twenty new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Oct. 21 at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.
This graduation ceremony marked the 300th class to graduate from KLETC since it was created in 1968.
“Every class is special, but this class is special numerically because it is our 300th basic training class,” said Darin Beck, KLETC executive director. Beck, who has served in that role since June 2018, shared a little bit of KLETC history with the graduates.
“In 1968 the Legislature created KLETC by statute,” he said. “They recognized that there was a need to formalize training in the state, and the first basic training class was held Feb. 26, 1968, to March 15, 1968.”
The commencement speaker for the ceremony, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, said it was special to be back for the 300th, and he expressed his appreciation for the graduates. “Their decision to enter this profession, this line of work, to serve despite the perils, to serve despite the criticism, is admirable.”
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 KU Lifelong & Professional Education.
The graduates, who began their training in July 2022, represented multiple municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
Allen County
1. Tyrone Grant-Wooden, Humboldt Police Department
Barton County
1. Angela Enriquez, Barton County Sheriff’s Office
Butler County
1. Hunter Crouch, Andover Police Department
Crawford County
1. Joshua Hammons, Pittsburg Police Department
Ellis County
1. Alexander Baker, Hays Police Department
Finney County
1. Shaun Hale, Holcomb Police Department
Franklin County
1. James Nelson, Wellsville Police Department
Hamilton County
1. Alex Ledezma, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
Harper County
1. Bailey Luck, Anthony Police Department
Harvey County
1. Wyatt Blasi, Newton Police Department
Labette County
1. Mark Raney, Parsons Police Department
Logan County
1. John Wojtech, Oakley Police Department
McPherson County
1. De Anna Jo Balencia, McPherson Police Department
Osborne County
1. Jerry Cameron, Osborne Police Department
Sedgwick County
2. Mackenzie Balthazor, Wichita State University Police Department
3. Scott Kitzenberger, Haysville Police Department
Shawnee County
1. Zachary Bower, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
2. Layne Watkins, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
3. Nicholas Yeager, Kansas Department of Corrections
Thomas County
1. Cody Collins, Thomas County Sheriff’s Office.
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]
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