Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 26 Graduates of Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 162
On February 21, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 26 dispatchers from across the state graduated from the Public Safety Dispatch Academy and are now ready to begin answering the call to aid both citizens and law enforcement officers of the commonwealth.
“You have answered a noble call, one that is of vital importance to keeping Kentuckians safe,” Gov. Beshear said. “You are a lifeline to Kentuckians in some of their darkest, scariest, toughest times, and for that, you are heroes.”
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. Over four weeks, the graduates of Class 162 received 164 hours of academy instruction to satisfy these requirements. Major training areas included identifying the role and responsibilities of the dispatcher, correct phone and radio procedures, handling emergency and nonemergency calls for service, using emergency medical dispatch protocols and using the state and national criminal databases.
“You have put yourself through intense training these past weeks in the name of keeping your communities safe, and for that, you have the admiration of myself and all of Team Kentucky,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “These four weeks have laid a solid foundation for a rewarding career, and I wish you the best of luck in the years to come.”
Class 162 graduates and their agencies are:
Gale D. Adams
Boyd Co. PSCC 911
Karolina J. Boren
Warren Co. Sheriff’s Office
Gracie E. Clark
Greenup Co. E-911
Cortney D. Clemons
Perry Co. E-911
Jeremy W. Cropper
Campbellsville PD
Molly A. Geary
Grayson Co. 911
Mollie J. Gerteisen
Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central Dispatch
Andrew Greer
Lexington Enhanced 911
Hailey Nicole Guest
Bluegrass 911 Central Comm.
Austin M. Hemlock Duty
Greenup Co. E-911
Brooklyn Hurt
Hazard PD
Matt Mattingly
Lebanon PD
Kierra Star Owens
Scottsville PD
Gabriel D. Priddy
Jefferson Co. Sheriff’s Office
Sean T. Queen
Bracken Co. 911
Mark A. Rudy
Murray PD
Lariesa Samson
Grayson Co. 911
Daniel J. Semeraro
Boyd Co.PSCC 911
Timothy D. Smedley
West Liberty PD
Brian A. Smith
Lebanon PD
Emily M. Strozyk
Corbin PD
Kevin E. Thomas
Boyd Co. PSCC 911
Morgan Shay Thompson
Frankfort PD
Matthew A. Tye
Whitley Co. 911
Katherine A. Wells
Powell Co. 911
Britney M. Zachary
Frankfort PD
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 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 September, 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.
