New Officers Graduate

By Todd Pittenger July 7, 2022

An Ottawa County Sheriff Deputy is among twenty-three new law enforcement officers graduated from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on July 1st.

Officer Andrew Lee of the Riley County Police Department was the graduating class president. The speaker for the ceremony was Sheriff Russ Thornton of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Rob McClarty, KLETC senior instructor of police, was the class coordinator for the 295th Basic Training Class.

Officers Julia Raymann and Justin Smithson of the Riley County Police Department were placed on the Director’s Honor Roll for achieving an overall academic average of 94% or higher. Raymann was also the recipient of the Larry Welch Award of Academic Excellence for having the highest overall academic score of 96.35%. Raymann and Smithson, along with Officer Toney Asquith of the Galena Police Department, were inducted into KLETC’s 200 Mile Club. Asquith also received the Fitness Medal for having completed 239.23 miles as a member of the 200 Mile Club. Officer T.J. Powell from 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.

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 March 2022, represented multiple municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Kansas. Graduates are listed below by county and agency:

Cherokee County

  • Toney Asquith, Galena Police Department
  • Garrett Gayoso, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office

Cowley County

  • Lucas Lyons, Arkansas City Police Department

Crawford County

  • Teddy Laubengayer, Pittsburg Police Department

Ellis County

  • Tate Bartlett, Hays Police Department

Finney County

  • Riley Muniz, Finney County Sheriff’s Office

Kingman County

  • Cody Bartel, Kingman Police Department

Labette County

  • Devin Wisdom, Parsons Police Department

Leavenworth County

  • Lee Addison, Lansing Police Department

Miami County

  • Alexander LaFrance, Miami County Sheriff’s Office

Ottawa County

  • Garrett Kimminau, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office

Pawnee County

  • Samuel Sullivan, Larned Police Department

Pottawatomie County

  • Terry Voight, Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office

Pratt County

  • Noah Tatro, Pratt Police Department

Reno County

  • Tristen Ryan, South Hutchinson Police Department
  • Thomas Powell, Hutchinson Police Department

Riley County

  • Justin Smithson, Riley County Police Department
  • Julia Raymann, Riley County Police Department
  • Andrew Lee, Riley County Police Department

Sedgwick County

  • Jai’Schaun Brown, Wichita State University Police Department

Seward County

  • Carlos Mora, Seward County Sheriff’s Office

Stafford County

  • Michael Sanders, St. John Police Department

Sumner County

  • Tyler Stover, Sumner County Sheriff’s Office