YODER — Fifty-one new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on March 8. Independence Police Chief Jerry Harrison was the speaker for the ceremony in KLETC’s Integrity Auditorium. The new officers were members of the 254th basic training class at the center. Located one mile west and one mile south of Yoder, near Hutchinson, the center is a division of University of Kansas Professional and Continuing Education.

The graduates, who began their training Nov. 12, 2018, represented 38 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas.

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, the center 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. The center offers continuing education and specialized training to over 10,000 Kansas officers each year.

Local graduates are: Ellinwood Police Department — Craig Merritt, patrol officer; Great Bend Police Department — Matthew Barker, Malik Moon, Craig Ramsey, patrol officers; Pratt County, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks, & Tourism in Pratt - Derek Kvasnicka, natural resource officer.