Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center announces February graduates

WICHITA -- Sixty-five new law enforcement officers were honored at a Feb. 7 graduation ceremony at the University of Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Wichita after completing a 14-week basic training program.

The graduates represent 41 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. They received certificates for course completion and Kansas law enforcement certification from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Commission, the state's law enforcement licensing authority. The training course fulfills the 560-hour state-mandated 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.

The KLETC is a unit of the KU Continuing Education program. Established in 1968 as the central law enforcement training facility for the state, the center is in southern Reno County at a former naval air station.

KLETC directly trains the majority of municipal, county and state law enforcement officers in Kansas and oversees and monitors the training of the remaining officers at seven authorized and certified academy programs operated by local law enforcement agencies and the Kansas Highway Patrol. In addition, KLETC maintains and monitors the employment and training histories of all Kansas law enforcement officers in the Central Registry, created in 1982 by the Kansas Legislature for that purpose.

About 450 officers are trained annually at the center, which offered continuing education and specialized training to more than 2,500 Kansas officers last year.

Funding for the training center is generated from court docket fees from municipal and state courts. No funds from the state's general revenue are used to operate the center.

Graduates, their positions and their law enforcement agencies by county are:

ANDERSON COUNTY
Animal Control/Patrolman Troy L. Brubaker, Garnett Police Dept.

BARTON COUNTY
Officer Joshua Brown, Hoisington Police Dept.

BOURBON COUNTY
Officer Michael Feagins, Fort Scott Police Dept.

BROWN COUNTY
Patrol Officer Jon D. Jones, Kickapoo Tribal Police Dept.

CHEROKEE COUNTY
Officer James W. Cruse, Galena Police Dept.

COFFEY COUNTY
Patrolman Michael L. Roney, Burlington Police Dept.

CRAWFORD COUNTY
Officer Travis Bowman, Pittsburg Police Dept.
Officer Brett Peine, Pittsburg Police Dept.
Officer Lois B. Wyatt, Arma Police Dept.

DICKINSON COUNTY
Deputy Tad Brian Tweady, Dickinson County Sheriff's Dept.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
Wildlife Area Manager Deke Austin Hobbick, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks.

ELLIS COUNTY
Officer Melanie Fisher, Hays Police Dept.

FINNEY COUNTY
Patrol Officer Gordon A.M. Bassham, Garden City Police Dept.

FORD COUNTY
Officer Josh Davis, Dodge City Police Dept.
Patrolman/Officer Michael French, Dodge City Police Dept.
Patrolman Jeff Mooradian, Dodge City Police Dept.
Officer Christopher Whelchel, Dodge City Police Dept.

GEARY COUNTY
Officer Christopher M. Hilton, Junction City Police Dept.
Deputy Timothy Schmidt, Geary County Sheriff's Office.

GREENWOOD COUNTY
Deputy Charles R. Bitler, Greenwood County Sheriff's Dept.

HARVEY COUNTY
Officer Bradley D. Celestin, Newton Police Dept. Deputy Stephen L. George, Harvey County Sheriff's Dept.

JACKSON COUNTY
Patrol Officer John M. Hurla, Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Dept. Officer Shawn Swisher, Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Dept.

JOHNSON COUNTY
Deputy Greg Baur, Johnson County Sheriff's Office.

LABETTE COUNTY
Patrolman Michael R. Shields, Altamont Police Dept.

MEADE COUNTY
Patrolman Dale Cates Dixon, Meade Police Dept.

MIAMI COUNTY
Conservation Officer/Park Ranger Tony J. Reitz, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Patrolman Christopher Pefley, Independence Police Dept.

OSAGE COUNTY
Deputy Don Craig Jr., Osage County Sheriff's Dept.
Deputy Bryan W. Johnson, Osage County Sheriff's Dept.

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY
Deputy Michael Parr, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office.

RENO COUNTY
Officer Dustin Loepp, Hutchinson Police Dept.
Officer Vance K. Mayes, Hutchinson Police Dept.
Officer Mike Robinson, Hutchinson Police Dept.

RILEY COUNTY
Officer Julia Farr, Kansas State University Police Dept.

ROOKS COUNTY
Park Ranger Zach Kesler, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks.

RUSH COUNTY
Deputy Sheriff Donovan M. Richmeier, Rush County Sheriff's Dept.

SALINE COUNTY
Officer Aaron Carswell, Salina Police Dept.
Officer James C. Roberts, Salina Police Dept.

SUMNER COUNTY
Officer Randy Gilday, Mulvane Police Dept.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY
Patrol Officer Bill Calvin, Kansas City, Kan., Community College Campus Police