Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center graduates 295th Basic Training Class

HUTCHINSON – Twenty-three new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on July 1 at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.

Officer Andrew Lee of the Riley County Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Sheriff Russ Thornton of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Rob McClarty, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 295th Basic Training Class.

Officers Julia Raymann and Justin Smithson of the Riley County Police Department were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll for achieving an overall academic average of 94% or higher. Raymann was also the recipient of the Larry Welch Award of Academic Excellence for having the highest overall academic score of 96.35%. Raymann and Smithson, along with Officer Toney Asquith of the Galena Police Department, were inducted into KLETC’s 200 Mile Club. Asquith also received the Fitness Medal for having completed 239.23 miles as a member of the 200 Mile Club. Officer T.J. Powell from the Hutchinson Police Department was recognized during the ceremony for his firearms proficiency as the class “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 March 2022, represented multiple municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Cherokee

• Toney Asquith, Galena Police Department
• Garrett Gayoso, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

Cowley

• Lucas Lyons, Arkansas City Police Department

Crawford

• Teddy Laubengayer, Pittsburg Police Department

Ellis

• Tate Bartlett, Hays Police Department

Finney

• Riley Muniz, Finney County Sheriff’s Office

Kingman

• Cody Bartel, Kingman Police Department

Labette

• Devin Wisdom, Parsons Police Department

Leavenworth

• Lee Addison, Lansing Police Department

Miami

• Alexander LaFrance, Miami County Sheriff's Office

Ottawa

• Garrett Kimminau, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office

Pawnee

• Samuel Sullivan, Larned Police Department

Pottawatomie

• Terry Voight, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office

Pratt

• Noah Tatro, Pratt Police Department

Reno

• Tristen Ryan, South Hutchinson Police Department
• Thomas Powell, Hutchinson Police Department

Riley

• Justin Smithson, Riley County Police Department
• Julia Raymann, Riley County Police Department
• Andrew Lee, Riley County Police Department

Sedgwick

• Jai’Schaun Brown, Wichita State University Police Department

Seward

• Carlos Mora, Seward County Sheriff’s Office

Stafford

• Michael Sanders, St. John Police Department

Sumner

• Tyler Stover, Sumner 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 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.

Top photo: The 295th Basic Training Class.

Right photo: KLETC Executive Director Darin Beck poses with the 295th Class President Officer Andrew Lee of the Riley County Police Department.