Meet DOCJT’s New Commissioner
On Monday Feb. 10, 2020, the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training welcomed Nicolai R. Jilek as its new commissioner.
He comes to the department having recently served as president of the largest police union in Kentucky, the River City Fraternal Order of Police (RCFOP) and as a sergeant with the Louisville Metro Police Department.
“I am excited to take on this new role,” said Jilek. “And I am honored that Governor Andy Beshear and Justice Mary Noble have given me the opportunity to work with the many local and state law enforcement agencies across our Commonwealth to advance the future of Kentucky’s law enforcement. Governor Beshear’s commitment to law enforcement is clear. He is committed to advocating for an increase to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund stipend, as well as protecting the integrity of KLEFPF. As for me, the men and women who patrol our streets and the telecommunicators who guide and watch over them are the vital core of our public safety. I will certainly be proud to help support their training needs.”
Officers in Mind
Bringing with him an officer-focused mentality, Jilek voiced his desire to strengthen the relationship between DOCJT and Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
“I want to build a rock-solid bridge and make sure we are meeting the needs of our various agencies across the Commonwealth,” said Jilek.
The new commissioner explained that not only are times changing when it comes to what communities expect from law enforcement, but also in recruitment and retention.
Despite the challenging future public safety in Kentucky is facing, Jilek said he hopes to do his part at DOCJT to keep the career relevant and enticing for folks who are looking at the profession and to keep those already wearing a badge interested and focused on pursuing professional development.
Jilek also noted protecting KLEFPF is an important task for him as commissioner.
“I’m very well aware that from Paducah to Pikeville, our officers have varying work environments, pay rates and benefits—yet, we are all held to the same standards,” said Jilek. “The KLEFPF stipend is one of the ways that the state is able to supplement those high expectations. So, for me, defending the integrity of KLEFPF is going to be a high priority.”
Remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice also lays on Jilek’s heart, as he said the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation is very dear to him. Along with maintaining the only statewide monument listing the names of nearly every known fallen officer, the foundation also provides relief and scholarship funds for families who lost a loved one in the line of duty. Jilek has served as a board member since last year and will continue to serve on the foundation’s board as commissioner.
“I am very much looking forward to seeing ways that DOCJT and the foundation can work together to make sure we honor those across the state who lost their lives for the public safety of our local communities,” Jilek said.
The new commissioner acknowledged DOCJT as the epicenter for public safety in Kentucky and its role as a pacesetter for the nation on matters of law enforcement training. Through his former work in the FOP, Jilek said he has had the opportunity to see how others states operate and just how well the Commonwealth’s system stacks up.
“I feel like this is my chance to carry our great state’s law enforcement legacy forward, to be here at this point in Kentucky’s training history and be able to bring it up even to the next level,” said Jilek. He added that having policed in the recent past, he has seen the challenges of modern policing. New challenges include increasing public expectations and the ways social media and technology is effecting the profession.
Policing Past
Jilek’s career has intertwined both policing and advocating issues related to law enforcement.
Never one to shy away from tough topics, as president of the 2,500-member RCFOP, Jilek was responsible for mediating disputes between the department administration and its sworn members and for enforcing existing labor contracts. He also served as a legislative agent for the Kentucky State Fraternal Order of Police. In this role, he traveled the state to develop and strengthen working relationships with community leaders, elected officials and news media across the Commonwealth and advocated for law enforcement issues such as public employee pensions at the local, state and national levels. Jilek also sat on the Labor Committee and the Urban Cities Committee for the National Fraternal Order of Police, which allowed him to shed light on law enforcement issues at a nationwide level.
At LMPD, Jilek spent time in patrol and as a plainclothes detective in a division flex platoon investigating narcotic offenders and assisting division detectives.
Prior to LMPD, Jilek was an officer and detective for the Danville Police Department. He was also a member of the special response team and a firearms instructor for the agency.
His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky, which he earned with honors, and graduating from the National Forensic Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee. Additionally, he completed the 1,280-hour Kentucky Police Corps program at DOCJT in 2002 and the Louisville Metro Police Academy in 2007.
Jilek is married to his wife, Tami, a proud public school teacher. The couple have two young daughters, Sophia and Zoe.
Always an Officer
One interesting aspect of Jilek’s career is that it almost didn’t happen. In fact, Jilek was on track to become a public school teacher and was working at an emergency shelter for children in Lexington when a ride along with the police department changed his life forever. A new purpose discovered, Jilek pursued policing and has never looked back.
“I always feel like, in this country, the policing profession is such an incredibly important one,” said Jilek. “We prize our liberties, and we prize our safety. Understanding the relationship between the two with our constitution is, I think so very important. I’ve been proud to get the opportunity to do this for a living. And now to get to train new officers and bring them up the right way; it’s such an honor.”
Jilek said he looks forward to working cooperatively with those within DOCJT and across the state. However, he did say that giving up his badge to take on the title of commissioner has been somewhat bittersweet.
“Being an officer is such a big part of my identity,” he said. “I know I have the ability to make a broad impact now, but that officer on the inside, I don’t think he will ever really go away.”
