Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 30 Graduates of Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 163
On March 28, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 30 dispatchers from across the state graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s Public Safety Dispatch Academy and are now ready to begin answering the call to aid both citizens and law enforcement officers of the commonwealth.
“Today you begin an admirable career in service to the commonwealth, serving as a lifeline to Kentuckians in some of their darkest times,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thank you for answering the call to service and thank you for serving your communities like only you can.”
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 163 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.
“In completing your training at the academy, you have accomplished something great,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “Your training has laid a solid foundation for a rewarding career, and I wish you nothing but the best of luck.”
DOCJT is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ public safety training program designation.
Class 163 graduates and their agencies are:
Shane E. S. Adcock
Lexington Enhanced 911
Abbygail E. Becraft
Fleming Co. Dispatch
McKayla Ryleigh BIllings
Frankfort Police Dept.
Serenity H. Blevins
Madison Co. E-911
Jacob R. Bower
Bell Co. Dispatch 911
Brandon Eugene Byers
Marion-Crittenden Co. E-911
Jo Lynn Colson
Marshall Co. E-911
Tyler Elizabeth Creek
Bowling Green Police Dept.
Susan Phelps-Culbertson
Frankfort Police Dept.
Erin A. Daniel
Lexington Enhanced-911
Kyndall Rayann Dockery
Muhlenberg Co. 911
Abigail G. Doss
Hopkinsville Police Dept.
Elisabeth Anna Earl
Henderson 911 ECC
Brandy S. Gray
Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central Dispatch
Valeska E. Gwathney
Bowling Green Police Dept.
Holden R. Hampton
Todd Co. Dispatch
Alexis M. Harris
Madison Co. E-911
Kaitlyn M. Hinds
Powell Co. Dispatch
Chelsea K. Hyman
Frankfort Police Dept.
Tyler K. Jenkins
Magoffin Co. 911
Kayla Marie Philomena Lynch
Cincinnati/N. KY Int. Airport AOC
Enisa Mustafic
Warren Co. Sheriff’s Office
Benjamin C. Nunley
London/Laurel Co. Comm. Center
William Jacob Oliver
Corbin Police Dept.
Emily L. Parks
City of Paducah 911
Ketzia Nicole Rivera Mercado
Oak Grove Police Dept.
Courtney Sargent
Lebanon Police Dept.
Jasmine S. Scott
Greenup Co. E-911
Nick C. Scott
Bluegrass 911 Central Communications
Joshua Grayson Tucker
Russell Co. Dispatch
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.
On Feb. 28, the Beshear-Coleman administration welcomed the first basic training academy class to Western Kentucky. For the first time since basic training became mandatory in 1998, Kentucky is simultaneously offering training in two locations. The Department of Criminal Justice Training will train officers in a building provided by the Madisonville Police Department while Team Kentucky constructs a $50 million multipurpose training facility in Madisonville.
Since taking office, Gov. 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.
At the beginning of his second term, 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 with 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.
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.
