32 New Law Enforcement Officers Ready To Protect Their Communities
On November 7, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 32 law enforcement officers from agencies across the state have graduated from the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training’s (DOCJT) basic training academy. These law enforcement officers now will return home to serve and protect the commonwealth and create safer communities.
“Congratulations to today’s graduates, who have dedicated themselves to 20 weeks of extensive basic training,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our commonwealth is a better, safer place because these individuals have answered the call to service. Thank you for protecting your communities and our children’s futures.”
DOCJT is committed to providing officers with best practices, the latest technology training and legal information to protect the diverse communities they serve. The graduates of Class 552 received more than 800 hours of recruit-level instruction over 20 weeks. Major training areas included patrol procedures, physical training, vehicle operations, defensive tactics, criminal law, traffic and DUI, firearms, criminal investigations, cultural awareness, bias-related crimes and tactical responses to crisis situations.
Since December 2019, the Beshear-Coelman administrated has graduated 1,585 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 32 graduating law enforcement officers will begin working with the commonwealth’s 8,000 other officers to create a commonwealth that is safer for all Kentuckians now and into the future.
“I am proud of your commitment to learning the skills and knowledge presented in the basic training academy and wish you success in implementing this training in your home communities,” said DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse. “You now carry with you the responsibility of serving with honor, integrity, fairness and transparency. Take this responsibility to heart and the people you protect will see how much you care.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration is proud to welcome the 32 new law enforcement officers into the partnership of public safety. Along with all those currently serving in law enforcement, graduates will play key roles in the ongoing effort to make each of Kentucky’s communities safer.
Class 552 graduates and their agencies are:
Matt S. Archer
McCracken County Sheriff’s Office
Arnold W. Arnett
Mt. Vernon Police Department
Joel Baker
Grayson County Sheriff’s Office
Justin Barrera
Northern Kentucky University Police Department
Emily Branham
Morehead Police Department
Aaron T. Capshaw
Tompkinsville Police Department
Kendall Catron
Russell Springs Police Department
Talon Cole
Calloway County Sheriff’s Office
Cole Cordle
Grayson Police Department
Noah J. Dishman
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office
Devon Evans
Marshall County Sheriff’s Office
Jimmy Foster
Somerset Police Department
Nikkolas Gillespie
Georgetown Police Department
Tristan Hines
Somerset Police Department
Carl Kern
Simpson County Sheriff’s Office
Jessica P. Maynard
Prestonsburg Police Department
Collin R. Morris
Meade County Sheriff’s Office
William Mulder
Paris Police Department
Lauren Muntz
Danville Police Department
Hunter Perdue
Burkesville Police Department
Justin Pressley
Murray State University Police Department
Elliott Rayens
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office
Coulter Reams
Somerset Police Department
Anthony Salerno
Breckinridge County Sheriff’s Office
Ryan Spinda
Worthington Police Department
Alexander Stratman
Georgetown Police Department
Matthew Tarkey
Simpson County Sheriff’s Office
Benjamin Tipton
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Keith Wagner
Florence Police Department
Marcus Walling
Georgetown Police Department
Ryan West
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
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.
In September, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the historic expansion of law enforcement basic training into Western Kentucky. The Department of Criminal Justice Training is launching a two-phase project to provide immediate, improved access to law enforcement training. Phase one will begin in February 2025 with a class of 24 recruits who will attend Basic Training in a Madisonville non-residential academy. The first phase is made possible because of robust partnerships with the city of Madisonville, which is providing facilities for the phase-one launch. Phase two includes the construction of administrative classroom and multipurpose training buildings funded by the $50 million legislative allotment to construct a Western Kentucky DOCJT campus.
Since taking office, Gov. Andy Beshear has awarded nearly $12 million in grant funding to assist state and local law enforcement agencies with enhancing public and officer safety, curbing the sale of illegal drugs and fighting addiction. As the administration remains committed to removing illicit drugs and further decreasing drug overdose deaths, in Sept. Gov. Beshear awarded more than $1.7 million in grant funding to Kentucky’s law enforcement, drug task forces and nonprofit organizations to purchase critical resources, provide drug prevention programming to community residents, offer counseling to crime victims, ensure officers receive specialized training and work with individuals leaving incarceration for successful reentry skills.
Last year, the Governor proposed a $500 increase to the law enforcement annual training stipend, but the General Assembly chose to provide a combined $262 increase over the next two years. The budget signed by the Governor raises the training stipend to an all-time high of $4,562 by fiscal year 2026. Additionally, the Governor is providing part-time law enforcement officers an annual training stipend for the first time in the history of the commonwealth.
In July 2023, 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 Department. Members of the Cash family, as well as state and local officials and staff from the DOCJT, 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 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.
