Twenty-one new law enforcement officers, including an Abilene Police Officer, graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Friday.
According to the organization, officer Kaelin Leach of the Hays Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Chief of Police for the Abilene Police Department, Anna Hatter. Steve McCorkill, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 279th Basic Training Class.
Officer Nicholas Pate of the Overbrook Police Department received the Welch Academic Award of Excellence for academic achievement. Officer Randall Douvier from the Newton Police Department was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class’s “Top Shot.” Officer Cassidy Fox from the Leavenworth Police Department walked, ran or biked more than 200 miles during her time at KLETC and exceeded the other physical requirements of the 200 Mile Club, including push-ups, sit-ups and a timed run. Officer Jeffery McKinney from the Abilene Police Department was honored as the student with the most improved fitness since the beginning of basic training.
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 more than 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 March 2021, represented 19 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
BOURBON
- Jonathan Allen, Fort Scott Police Department
DICKINSON
- Jeffery McKinney, Abilene Police Department
ELLIS
- Covey Becker, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office
- Kaelin Leach, Hays Police Department
FORD
- Nicholas Murray, Dodge City Police Department
GEARY
- Anthony Timms, Junction City Police Department
HARVEY
- Randall Douvier, Newton Police Department
KEARNEY
- Sheila Malliot, Kearny County Sheriff’s Office
LEAVENWORTH
- Jacob Cuneo, Leavenworth Police Department
- Cassidy Fox, Leavenworth Police Department
- George Green, Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office
MEADE
- Anthony Schmidt, Meade Police Department
NEMAHA
- Phillip Steinlage, Seneca Police Department
OSAGE
- Nicholas Pate, Overbrook Police Department
PRATT
- Devon Willard, Pratt County Sheriff’s Office
RAWLINS
- Catlyn Wahrman, Rawlins County Sheriff’s Office
RENO
- Lane Hammond, Hutchinson Police Department
- Allison Roman, Hutchinson Police Department
REPUBLIC
- Shawn Sprayberry, Republic County Sheriff’s Office
RILEY
- Derek Boam, Kansas State University Police Department
WYANDOTTE
- Carlos Rosales, University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department
About the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
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.