Graduates complete more than 800 hours of training to strengthen the safety of the commonwealth’s citizens
RICHMOND, Ky. (Dec. 19, 2024) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 29 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth have graduated from the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training’s (DOCJT) basic training academy Class 553. These law enforcement officers will now return home to serve and protect the commonwealth and create safer communities.
“Your commitment and determination to serving the commonwealth is honorable, and we are grateful that you have chosen this selfless profession,” Gov. Beshear said. “We are excited to see the good things you will do in your communities, and my family and I are praying for a safe and healthy career for each of you.”
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 553 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-Coleman administrated has graduated 1,614 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 29 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.
“Today you leave this academy and have earned more than the honor of carrying a badge,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “You now carry with you the responsibility of serving with honor, integrity, fairness and transparency. Carry this responsibility with you each day, and the people you protect will see how much you care.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration is proud to welcome the 29 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 553 graduates and their agencies are:
DOCJT provides basic training for city and county police officers, sheriffs’ deputies, university police and airport police throughout the state, only excluding the Louisville Metro Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Bowling Green Police Department and the Kentucky State Police, each of which have independent academies.
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. 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 1 will begin in February 2025 with a class of 24 recruits who will attend basic training in a Madisonville nonresidential academy. The first phase is made possible because of robust partnerships with the city of Madisonville, which is providing facilities for the launch. Phase 2 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. 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 crucial 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.
Graduates of Class 553:
Eric L. Anderson
Eastern Kentucky University P.D.
Tylantiss L. Atlas
Murray State University P.D.
Paul D. Bailey
Cumberland Police Department
Billy L. Cammack
Owenton Police Department
Nathan C. Carr
Greenup County Sheriff’s Office
Billy Courtway
Cave City Police Department
Nico G. Debellis
Richmond Police Department
David M. Dunn
Knox County Sheriff’s Office
Treg R. Duvall
Henderson Police Department
Bethany L. Hensley
Knox County Sheriff’s Office
Austin K. Holland
Montgomery Co. Sherriff’s Office
Case L. Horn
Elkton Police Department
Christopher S. Jones
Hazard Police Department
Adam J. Lipps
Covington Police Department
John C. Little II
Georgetown Police Department
Jeramie M. Long
Jackson Police Department
Adam D. Markesbery
Elsmere Police Department
Austin S. Marshall
Todd County Sheriff’s Office
Arlie W. Messer
Hazard Police Department
Trevor G. Mullins
Boyd County Sheriff’s Office
Kelvin Napier
Jackson Police Department
Joseph D. Nelson
Taylor County Sheriff’s Office
Harry Nguyen
Oak Grove Police Department
William L. Parks
Independence Police Department
Jordan P. Potter
Henderson Police Department
Sebastian Sheppard
Paintsville Police Department
Jason S. Smith
Erlanger Police Department
Zachary J. Teunis
Independence Police Department
Jason K. Walker
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
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