LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas announced Thursday that Darin Beck will be the next executive director of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Yoder. 

The state headquarters for law enforcement training, KLETC, develops and delivers basic training and continuing education for police officers, sheriff’s deputies and others.

Beck was first employed by KLETC in 1999 and is now the associate director. He earned bachelor’s degrees in math and business from Wichita State University, a master’s degree in adult education from Newman University and a Juris Doctorate from Baylor University.

Beck also graduated from the Command and General Staff College of the U.S. Army. He has taught middle school and college courses in Kansas and served as a municipal and military attorney.

“In my opinion, there’s no single position out there with the greater potential to impact society and deal with issues affecting all of us on a day-to-day basis,” Beck said. “As the KLETC executive director, I get to support the people who serve Kansas communities.”

On June 17, Beck will become just the fourth leader of KLETC in its 50-year history. The executive director position opened and the search process began following the retirement announcement of Ed Pavey, who served in the role for the last 23 years.

The position also carries the responsibility by state statute of director of Kansas police training, a state officer, and the director also serves as an ex officio member of the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training.

In fiscal year 2017, KLETC graduated 394 new officers from basic training and delivered continuing education to 9,979 participants. KLETC is located on a 173-acre site in Yoder. It has 51 staff members on the 15-building campus, including 63-room and 54-room residence halls with 231 beds, state-of-the-art electronic training simulators and a 1.78-mile driving course.