Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announces 27 Graduates of Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 151
On August 4, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 27 dispatchers from across the state graduated from the Public Safety Dispatch Academy and are now ready to begin answering the call to aid and assurance to both citizens and law enforcement officers of the commonwealth.
“Thank you for answering the call of service,” Gov. Beshear said. “Your mission is an important one. As you are now the lifeline to those facing some of their darkest and scariest times. Thank you for being a hero and the ears to Kentucky’s first responders.”
Dispatch basic training is mandatory for any sworn or civilian employee who will dispatch law enforcement officers by radio at a Criminal Justice Information Systems agency. Graduates of the academy have successfully completed a highly structured and comprehensive curriculum to satisfy mandated training requirements. The graduates of Class 151 received 164 hours of academy instruction to satisfy these requirements over four weeks. Major training areas include identifying the role and responsibilities of the dispatcher, correct phone and radio procedures, handling emergency and non-emergency calls for service, emergency medical dispatch protocols and use of the state and national criminal databases.
“I am proud of your accomplishments while at the academy,” DOCJT Commissioner Nicolai Jilek said. “Your four weeks of training have laid a solid foundation for a rewarding career for years to come. I wish you the best of luck in your careers.”
Class 151 graduates and their agencies are:
William Kedrick Adkins
Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Christopher W. Bean
Madisonville Police Department
Raymond W. Canafax III
Greenup County E-911
Shanna Dale Charles
Powell County Dispatch
Rebecka Nichole Griffin
Rockcastle County 911
Theresa Hawkins
Todd County Dispatch
Shelby D. Henson
Greenup County E-911
Sonji Leigh Holsclaw
Meade County E-911
Kelsey A. Kerberg
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Timothy Lear
Ohio County Sheriff’s Office
Maxine M. LeMaster
West Liberty Police Department
Abbegale K. Lyons
Meade County E-911
Steven Wayne Madden
Webster County 911
Asara Ebonique McMullen
Lexington Enhanced 911
Victoria L. McPherson
Muhlenberg County 911
Brianna Dawn Monroe
Frankfort/Franklin County 911
Keonna Neeley
Lexington Enhanced 911
Jessica L. Owens
Logan County Emergency Communications Center
Jordan Payton
Webster County 911
Aaron Prather
Hardin County E-911
Joshua Quinter
Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office
Justin M. Shoemaker
LaRue County E-911
Telisha Renea Spears
Bluegrass 911 Central Communications
Courtney Standifur
Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Logan A. Thompson
Bowling Green Police Department
Shellie Jean Versteeg
Lexington Enhanced 911
Carl Waters Jr.
Carrollton Police Department
DOCJT provides basic training for city and county police officers, sheriffs’ deputies, university police, airport police throughout the state, only excluding Louisville Metro Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Bowling Green Police Department and the Kentucky State Police, which each have independent academies.
DOCJT is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA is seeking public input regarding DOCJT’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. Click here to submit comments.
Beshear-Coleman Administration Commitment to Making Kentucky a National Leader in Public Safety
The Beshear-Coleman administration’s top priority is the safety of all Kentuckians. The Governor's public safety actions are creating safer communities and a better Kentucky now and into the future.
Recently, Gov. Beshear broke ground in Richmond on a new law enforcement training facility named in honor of Jody Cash, who lost his life in the line of duty May 16, 2022, while serving as chief deputy of the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office. Members of the Cash family, as well as state and local officials and staff from the Department of Criminal Justice Training, joined the Governor in taking a step forward to enhance the safety of Kentucky’s nearly 8,000 peace officers who risk their lives every day to protect Kentucky families.
In March, Gov. Beshear signed three pieces of legislation that support law enforcement and increase public safety. Senate Bill 89 allows reemployment of retired individuals as police officers from the Police and Fire Retirement Fund; House Bill 380 expands the eligibility of potential peace officers to include individuals who are not yet 21 years of age but will reach this statutory requirement by the time certification is completed; and House Bill 540 increases the number of peace officers in the commonwealth’s private and parochial schools as well as public schools creating consistency of expectations across different types of schools. Due to this bipartisan effort, Kentucky is now able to increase recruitment of peace officers throughout the commonwealth and create a safe learning environment for all students to thrive, grow and reach their dreams.
To further increase the safety of Kentucky’s children the Governor signed legislation that strengthens child abuse, neglect and human trafficking reporting requirements, clarifies the legal definition of incest and ensures that registered sex offenders cannot come within 1,000 feet of a high school, middle school, elementary school, preschool, publicly owned or leased playground, or licensed day care facility.
Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded almost $8 million in grant funding to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in purchasing the tools and resources that will not only allow them to protect Kentucky communities but will also ensure their safety as they stand on the front lines every day. In September 2022, the administration announced nearly $2 million in grant funding to enhance public safety, curb the sale of illegal drugs and fight addiction.
The bipartisan state budget signed by Gov. Beshear and enacted last year allows the commonwealth to take additional steps to make Kentucky a leader in public safety by enhancing law enforcement training, creating safer communities and improving the safety of both law enforcement officers and Kentuckians. In July 2022, the Governor announced additional steps to enhance public and officer safety, including funding for a new firearms training facility, a Western Kentucky training site feasibility study and an increased training stipend for law enforcement officers.
In October 2022, the administration took another step forward in creating safer communities by awarding more than $350,000 in grant funding to prevent youth crime across the commonwealth.
In June 2022, Gov. Beshear announced the Military to Law Enforcement Program (M-2-LE). M-2-LE allows local law enforcement agencies in Kentucky to hire active service members within all U.S. military branches during their last 180 days of service. Upon being contracted by a law enforcement agency, the military member will continue to receive their pay and benefits from the U.S. Military while they undergo law enforcement training at the Department of Criminal Justice Training.
During the 2022 legislative session, Gov. Beshear championed legislative action like Senate Bill 64 and House Bill 254, making it easier for law enforcement to conduct undercover stings and increase the chances of stopping a horrific crime against a child from being facilitated through the internet. These actions will also provide law enforcement officers with the authority to charge offenders with harsher crimes to keep them away from the public, preventing further interactions with Kentucky’s most vulnerable population.
