Butler’s Geier Completes Kansas Collegiate Law Enforcement Academy

Butler Community College Criminal Justice student Kathryn Geier was one of seven college students from across the state to complete the Kansas Collegiate Law Enforcement Academy, hosted by the Kansas Highway Patrol May 19-23, 2025. This marked the seventeenth consecutive year that at least one Butler student participated in the Academy.

Criminal justice students from community colleges and universities across Kansas apply for the prestigious program. Students are then selected based on their academic history, level of participation in their college’s criminal justice program and interest in the law enforcement field. Once selected, the Academy offers students an exclusive opportunity to experience academy life and hands-on training before entering a career in law enforcement.

Throughout the week students participated in team building, physical training, law enforcement ethics, search and seizure, breath alcohol unit/impaired driving enforcement, and K-9 and aircraft enforcement/support units. They also performed practical exercises including a firearms range course, emergency vehicle operations course, defensive tactics, Virta law enforcement judgement simulator training and vehicle traffic stops.

“It is an honor to be selected, and we are very proud of [Kathryn’s] accomplishments,” said Miles Erpelding, Butler’s criminal justice lead professor and academy advisor. “It is an excellent opportunity to increase student interest in criminal justice and the law enforcement field.”

The Academy is hosted each May at the Kansas Highway Patrol training facility in Salina.