KU News Release

Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center to assist in anti-violence training

LAWRENCE — Kansas law enforcement officers and other criminal justice professionals will receive comprehensive training to combat domestic violence thanks to a $750,000 federal grant.

The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, a unit of Continuing Education at the University of Kansas, will help establish the training curriculum. In September, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius announced the state had received the grant to provide uniform training to all professionals of the Kansas criminal justice system serving victims and offenders of domestic violence.

In 2004, Kansas law enforcement agencies reported 18,042 incidents of domestic violence. There were 7,914 protection-from-abuse orders and 3,036 protection-from-stalking orders filed with the Kansas courts. During that same year, Kansas recorded 25 domestic violence-related homicides, up from 15 in 2003.

“Domestic violence affects people of all races and cultures, and frequently law enforcement officers are the first individuals to have contact with the victims and offenders,” said Ed Pavey, director of the training center. “Consistent and uniform training and education of our law enforcement officers and other criminal justice professionals will lead to a better understanding of how law enforcement officers can deal more effectively with domestic violence and improve our response to this significant problem. We are pleased to be a partner in Gov. Sebelius’ coalition seeking an end to domestic violence.”

In October 2004, Sebelius established the Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board to examine domestic violence homicides and to identify ways to improve the response to domestic violence. This grant will help provide the training recommended by the board. The training center’s assistant director, Dave Warry, is one of the board’s charter members.

“We’ll be able to provide coordinated and consistent training to professionals working to end domestic violence, which will improve our ability to help victims and punish offenders,” said Sebelius.

The Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center was established in 1968 as the central law enforcement training facility for the state and is located near Yoder in southern Reno County at a former naval air station.

The center 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, the center 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.

In addition to the governor’s office, other partners in the federal grant include the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, Kansas County and District Attorneys Association, Kansas Office of Judicial Administration and Kansas Department of Corrections.

The grant is from the U. S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women for the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program.

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