A Saline County Sheriff Deputy is among twenty new law enforcement officers who graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Friday.

According to the University of Kansas, the recruits, representing fifteen agencies across Kansas, completed 14 weeks of training. Friends and family gathered to watch them take the oath before returning to their communities to serve as law enforcement officers.

Steve McCorkill, police instructor senior, introduced the class during the ceremony. Col. Erik Smith, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, delivered remarks that focused on the qualities required to succeed in law enforcement and the responsibility graduates now carry.

“Those qualities that brought you here — the discipline, the resilience, the courage — will now become a part of who you are every single day,” Smith said. “There will be moments when you will need to draw upon that strength, moments when you must fight for justice, stand firm in difficult situations and protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

Class President Officer Frederick Klodt of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department also addressed his fellow graduates, emphasizing the importance of carrying forward what they learned during training.

“Take these competencies and wisdom from the instructors with you, stay vigilant, stay humble and always look out for one another,” Klodt said. “Most importantly, in the moments when the shift is long and the challenges are great, always remember your why.”

The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center has been a division of the University of Kansas since 1968 and serves as the state’s central training agency for law enforcement officers.

Under the authority of Darin Beck, vice provost and director of police training, graduates received certificates attesting to the satisfactory completion of a full-time basic course of instruction and certification as Kansas law enforcement officers from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s Law enforcement licensing authority.

The following, sorted by county, are the graduates of the 354th basic training class. Special awards are in parentheses:

 Butler County

• Travis Scarborough, Butler County Sheriff’s Office

 Cherokee County

• Daniel Lillard, Galena Police Department

 Finney County

• Demarcus Elliott, Finney County Sheriff’s Office

 Ford County

• Alison Sandoval, Dodge City Police Department

 Geary County

• Joshua Ferrell, Junction City Police Department
• Cory Hamilton, Junction City Police Department
• Jarrett Spranger, Junction City Police Department

 Jackson County

• Frederick Klodt, Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police (class president, Fitness award)

 Leavenworth County

• Tyler Hamme, Leavenworth Police Department
• Nicholas McComas, Leavenworth Police Department (director’s honor)

 Montgomery County

• Christian Ortiz, Independence Police Department

 Pratt County

• Dylan Hopkins, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (honors)

 Rice County

• Randi Feemster, Rice County Sheriff’s Office
• Kade Lovelady, Rice County Sheriff’s Office

 Saline County

• Casey Orshal, Saline County Sheriff’s Office

 Sedgwick County

• Hunter Frizzell, Derby Police Department

 Shawnee County

• Roger Michels, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
• Jacob Pressley, MTAA Police & Fire Department

 Smith County

• Trenton Frydendall, Smith County Sheriff’s Office

 Wyandotte County

• Tyler Walker, University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department.