Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 24 Officers Graduate from the Academy of Police Supervision
On April 18, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 24 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth graduated the 101st class of the Academy of Police Supervision (APS).
“Answering the call to become a law enforcement officer is a noble one, and answering the call to lead your fellow heroes is even more so,” Gov. Beshear said. “You have proven yourselves to be top-notch leaders, and I know you will take the skills you have learned here back to your agencies and continue to be great leaders in your communities.”
APS, also called the sergeant’s academy, is a three-week, 122-hour training program targeted for newly promoted sergeants or officers who are on their agency’s promotion list to become sergeants. The academy was launched in 2003 as a leadership course aimed at developing and shaping future and current leaders in law enforcement agencies across the commonwealth.
The training program provides a deep dive into how to positively influence groups of people, as well as how to apply situational leadership, demonstrate an understanding of constitutional and administrative law, emotional and social intelligence, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, emotional survival and public speaking.
“Having graduated from this academy myself, I know firsthand how valuable and game-changing this academy can be for an agency,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “I commend these leaders on completing this course, and I encourage them to lead purposefully and humbly while taking these skills back to their homes and their communities.”
APS Class 101 graduates and their agencies are:
Rick Burns
Jeffersontown Police Department
Michael D’Elia
Murray State University Police Department
Matt Davis
Ashland Police Department
William Del Rio
Scottsville Police Department
Jeff Eberenz
Shepherdsville Police Department
John Fields
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Craig Hansen
Franklin Police Department
Garrett Haynes
Southgate Police Department
Everett Humphries
Scott County Sheriff’s Office
Aaron Lane
Marshall County Sheriff’s Office
Zac Lawson
Nicholasville Police Department
Daniel Miller
Hazard Police Department
Donovan Nolan
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Kyle O’Hara
Erlanger Police Department
Eric Poynter
Maysville Police Department
Wyatt Russell
Hillview Police Department
Joshua Smith
Monticello Police Department
Nick Spaulding
Shively Police Department
Joseph Stratton
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office
Ethan Vincent
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Henry Volentine
Hardin County Sheriff’s Office
Nick Von Handorf
Ft. Wright Police Department
Chris White
Newport Police Department
Kyle Woodward
Radcliff Police Department
DOCJT is a state agency located on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus. The agency is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ public safety training program designation.
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.
