Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 29 Officers Graduate from the School Resource Officer Training
On July 22, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 29 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth assigned to specific school campuses graduated the sixth School Resource Officer (SRO) III Training. The graduating officers have completed the 120 hours of state mandated training over a three-year timeframe (SRO I, SRO II and SRO III), making them fully certified to work in Kentucky’s school systems.
“Ensuring the safety and well-being of Kentucky’s schools is a top priority of my administration,” said Gov. Beshear. “I commend you on taking on this responsibility. Thank you for all you do for your agency, school systems and the commonwealth.”
DOCJT’s SRO training targets the specific needs of officers who are assigned to provide safety and security to the students and staff located inside a school. The SRO courses were revamped after the School Safety and Resilience Act passed in 2019. That year, the training was updated and expanded to serve today’s schoolchildren and administrators. The three levels of training are now offered to active, certified law enforcement serving as school resource officers. All SROs must complete the SRO I in-service course within one year of their start date. SRO II and SRO III training courses are required to be completed the following two years as the annual in-service training. SRO training includes topics such as working with special-needs students, mental health awareness and trauma-informed action. Firearms and tactics refresher training are also included.
“School resources officers are a vital part of law enforcement agencies in today’s world,” said DOCJT Commissioner Nicolai Jilek. “I am proud of the efforts you have made to help make our schools a safe place for children to learn.”
In April 2022, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 63 into law, which introduces new SRO requirements for school districts. The new law requires that each campus have an SRO by Aug. 1, 2022, if possible.
The law (KRS 158.4414(2)) further states that, “if sufficient funds and qualified personnel are not available for this purpose for every campus, the local board of education shall fulfill the requirements of this subsection on a per-campus basis, as approved in writing by the state school security marshal, until a certified school resource officer is assigned to and working on-site, full-time on each campus in the district.”
The Office of the School Security Marshal is working closely with each school district to implement HB 63 and coordinate a plan to overcome any obstacles.For more information about the role an SRO plays in school safety click here.
SRO III Class 6 graduates and their agencies are:
David L. Amon
Garrard County Sheriff’s Office
Bart W. Blythe
Simpson County Sheriff’s Office
Jordan D. Buis
Liberty Police Department
Mark A. Cromwell
Glasgow Police Department
Anthony B. Darnell
Columbia Police Department
Michael S. Dehner
Boone County Sheriff’s Office
Phillip E. Dunford
Independence Police Department
Jacob D. Edwards
Nicholasville Police Department
Robert M. Ervin
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Bradley J. Ezell
Boone County Sheriff’s Office
Howard M. Garrison
Glasgow Police Department
Jackie A. Grider
Russell County Sheriff’s Office
Lucas J. Hoseclaw
Somerset Police Department
Jeffery K. Jones
Fayette County Schools Police Department
Jerry D. Marcum
Hopkinsville Police Department
John W. Marshall
Beattyville Police Department
Ryan T. Mays
Fayette County Schools Police Department
Clete P. McAninch
Russell Springs Police Department
Robert Morgan
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Stephen W. Muntz
Cynthiana Police Department
Charles Franklin Phillips
Taylor Mill Police Department
Lawrence L. Robinson
Elizabethtown Police Department
George Wayne Russell
Madisonville Police Department
Serena Sandusky
Fayette County Schools Police Department
Christopher Saunders
Boone County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin M. Schwartz
Boone County Sheriff’s Office
Thomas E. Spencer
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office
Robert Michael Waldrop
Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Troy G. Young
Russell County Sheriff’s Office
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 also earned re-accreditation through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training in 2018.
