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KLETC graduates 297th basic training class
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HUTCHINSON — Nineteen new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Aug. 19 at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.

The graduates, who began their training in April 2022, represented multiple municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Local graduate is Derrick Brown of the Ellinwood Police Department.

Kalaeb Bratton, game warden with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Todd Ackerman, director of the Augusta Department of Public Safety. Michael Satterlee, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 297th Basic Training Class.

Bratton was named to the Director’s Honor Roll and given the Larry Welch Academic Award for having the highest total average on the written exams within the class. His final average was 95.7%. Officer Mitchell May of 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 and Professional Education.