Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduates 296th basic training class

HUTCHINSON – Twenty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on July 29 at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.

Officer Spencer Putman of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief Karl Oakman of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. James Buettgenbach, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the class coordinator for the 296th Basic Training Class.

Officer Ryan Lies of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks along with Deputy Irlick Moreno of the Rice County Sheriff’s Office were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll. Moreno was additionally awarded the Larry Welch Academic Award for having the highest GPA in the class. Officer Tyler Hynes was awarded the Fitness Medal for having the most miles completed (223.8) and for having the most improvement on his physical assessments. Lies was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class’s “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 April 2022, represented multiple municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Cherokee County

• Joshua Davis, Galena Police Department

Dickinson County

• Spencer Garten, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office

Douglas County

• Cory Roberson, Douglas County Sheriff's Office
• Kyle Zeller, Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Finney County

• Kalu Elmu, Garden City Police Department
• Matthew McGarth, Garden City Police Department

Franklin County

• Jason Hedges, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office

Geary County

• Tyler Hynes, Grandview Plaza Police Department

Harvey County

• Carter James, Newton Police Department

Pottawatomie County

• Eric Shepard, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office

Pratt County

• Ryan Lies, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
• Spencer Putman, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Reno County

• Vincent Beaudoin, Hutchinson Police Department

Republic County

• Brooke Poppe, Belleville Police Department

Rice County

• Irlick Moreno, Rice County Sheriff’s Office

Sedgwick County

• Austin Barrett, Haysville Police Department
• Bryan Tuxhorn, Cheney Police Department

Sumner County

• Laura Freeman, Oxford Police Department

Thomas County

• Landon Skolout, Colby Police Department

Wyandotte County

• Jonathan Cortes, Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office
• Elijah Ming, 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, a unit of Jayhawk Global, 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.

Feature photo: The 296th basic training class.

Left photo: KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck stands with the class president of the 296th basic training class, Officer Spencer Putman.