HUTCHINSON — Friends and family filled Integrity Auditorium at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Dec. 12 to watch the 350th Basic Training Class take the oath to serve as law enforcement officers in Kansas. Graduates included Kasey Starnes with the Great Bend Police Department.

The 20 graduating recruits completed 14 weeks of rigorous training and will now return to their agencies across the state to begin serving their communities.

Police Instructor Senior James Buettgenbach introduced the class and welcomed the ceremony’s keynote speaker, David “Tyler” Decker, chief of police in Fredonia.

“Each of you arrived at the academy with a story,” Decker told the graduates. “Some of you always knew this was your calling. Others found their way through a journey of challenges, inspirations or a desire to make a difference. But regardless of your path, you all stand here now united by a single shared purpose — the commitment to serve and protect.”

Class President Joshua Gile, also of the Fredonia Police Department, addressed fellow graduates and their guests.

“I can say with confidence that the future of law enforcement is in good hands,” Gile said. “Hold your heads high. Be proud of what you’ve achieved, and go show your communities the outstanding officers you are. The bonds we’ve built here will last a lifetime, and the lessons we’ve learned will guide us in service.”

KLETC 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 Vice Provost and Director of Police Training Darin Beck, graduates received certificates attesting 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.