YODER — Twenty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Aug. 28 at a ceremony held in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium.
Tyler Stephenson of the Baldwin City Police Department was the graduating class president. Rob McClarty, KLETC instructor of police and class coordinator for the 267th Basic Training Class, was the speaker for the ceremony.
Stephenson was named to the Director’s Honor Roll and was also the recipient of the Welch Academic Award. Deputy Chandler Ford from the Meade County Sheriff’s Office and Officer Logan Higbee from the Beloit Police Department were acknowledged for having shot 100% on their firearms qualification, with Higbee being recognized as the class “Top Shot.”
McClarty also singled out students Higbee, Levi Chermak, Austin Sievert, Stephenson, Shawn Hyde, Tanner Houck, Blake Stromgren and Ford for assisting a motorist whose car had flipped. The students were en route to Cheney on their downtime when they noticed the overturned vehicle. They worked together to ensure that not only was the motorist safe, but that the area was safe as well. The students tended to the motorist and controlled traffic until the Reno County EMS, Pretty Prairie Fire Department and Kansas Highway Patrol arrived on the scene.
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 Professional & Continuing Education.
The graduates, who began their training in February 2020, represented 15 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates who granted permission to release their names are listed below by county and agency:
Butler County
Madysn Mitchell, Butler Community College Department of Public Safety
Chase County
Eric Hidecker, Chase County Sheriff's Office
Crawford County
Logan Curran, Girard Police Department
Doniphan County
Dexter Holliday, Iowa Tribal Police Department
Douglas County
Vanessa Schmalz, Baldwin City Police Department
Tyler Stephenson, Baldwin City Police Department
Greeley County
Tylor Preeo, Greeley County Sheriff's Office
Johnson County
Shawn Hyde, Kansas City Public Schools Police Department
Leavenworth County
Nancy Martinez, Leavenworth Police Department
Brittany Swanbeck, Leavenworth Police Department
Lyon County
Xochitl Arzate, Emporia State University Police Department
Meade County
Chandler Ford, Meade County Sheriff's Office
Mitchell County
Logan Higbee, Beloit Police Department
Pratt County
Colbe Austin, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
Levi Chermak, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
Tanner Houck, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
Austin Sievert, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
Blake Stromgren, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism
Rooks County
Randall Benoit, Rooks County Sheriff's Office
Russell County
Chase Newacheck, Russell County Sheriff's Office
Sumner County
Darrell Moody, Belle Plaine Police Department