By JASON LEVY
KLETC
Twenty new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on May 20th at a ceremony held in the KLETC Integrity Auditorium.
Officer Daniel Harshbarger of the Rose Hill Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Sheriff Jack Laurie of the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office. Michael Turenne, KLETC Senior Instructor of Police, was the Class Coordinator for the 293rd Basic Training Class.
Officers Jonah Rostetter of the Hesston Police Department, Minh Pham of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Marc Coletti of the Salina Police Department, and Deputy Jeremiah Andrews of the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office received fitness awards. Officer Coletti was also recognized for having the best overall improvement in the push-ups, sit-ups, and the 1.5 mile run while Officer Rostetter was recognized for having run the most miles in his class (224.96 miles). Officer Pham 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 & Professional Education.
The graduates, who began their training in February 2022, represented multiple municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:
ATCHISON COUNTY
Jesse Noll - Atchison County Sheriff's Office
Shane Nix - Atchison County Sheriff's Office
BARTON COUNTY
Garrison Cobb - Hoisington Police Department
Emma Mooney - Great Bend Police Department
BROWN COUNTY
William Entrikin - Horton Police Department
BUTLER COUNTY
Daniel Harshbarger - Rose Hill Police Department
Jacob McCoy - El Dorado Police Department
CLOUD COUNTY
Samuel Caito - Concordia Police Department
FORD COUNTY
Oscar Rivera - Dodge City Police Department
FRANKLIN COUNTY
Cole Allen - Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Brian Jung - Franklin County Sheriff's Office
GREENWOOD COUNTY
Jeremiah Andrews - Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office
HARVEY COUNTY
Jonah Rostetter - Hesston Police Department
PHILLIPS COUNTY
Carson Wolfe - Phillips County Sheriff’s Office
RENO COUNTY
Lucas Dunbar - Hutchinson Police Department
ROOKS COUNTY
Salvador Ramirez - Rooks County Sheriff’s Office
SALINE COUNTY
Marc Coletti - Salina Police Department
SHAWNEE COUNTY
Minh Pham - Kansas Bureau of Investigation
THOMAS COUNTY
Lucas Coulter - Colby Police Department
WYANDOTTE COUNTY
John Lobner - Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office