28 New Law Enforcement Officers Ready To Protect Their Communities
On November 20, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 28 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth have graduated from the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training’s (DOCJT) basic training academy in Richmond. These law enforcement officers now return home to serve, protect and create a safer New Kentucky Home.
“You’ve shown great integrity and commitment to your communities in the academy, and I encourage you to continue carrying that with you each day you put on your uniform,” Gov. Beshear said. “As you step into this next chapter of your lives, know that all of Team Kentucky thanks you and your families for your service and sacrifice, and that we are praying for a safe and fulfilling 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 563 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 administration has graduated 2,210 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 28 graduating law enforcement officers will begin working with the 8,000 other officers of the commonwealth to create a commonwealth that is safer for all Kentuckians.
“Today’s graduation is more than the end of basic training – it is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to serving with integrity and protecting our communities,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “These recruits have earned their badges, along with the honor and responsibility to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement and set an example for all who follow.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration is proud to welcome the 28 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 563 graduates and their agencies are:
John D. Adams
Fleming County Sheriff’s Office
Dan Allen
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Dustin R. Arvin
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Dylan A. Bosse
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Micah A. Carter
Cynthiana Police Department
Jordan Chase Casteel
Berea Police Department
Dakota J. Combs
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Kaden I. Conn
Prestonsburg Police Department
Vincent L. Daniel
Russellville Police Department
Davy H. Dinsmore
Princeton Police Department
Tyler A. Franklin
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Dustin B. Grady
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Jason M. Guffey
Monticello Police Department
Noah Guffey
McLean County Sheriff’s Office
Kenton S. Humphrey
Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Corbin R. Kelley
Wilder Police Department
Connor P. Lapadula
Princeton Police Department
Michael James Martin
Kenton County Police Department
Tyler E. Messer
Alexandria Police Department
Jonathan Pittman
Versailles Police Department
Julian A. Reese II
Berea Police Department
Robert L. Rimer
Wilder Police Department
Michael P. Self
Oak Grove Police Department
Charles A. Sora
Covington Police Department
Andrew J. Staggs
Maysville Police Department
Ayden J. Stuckey
Independence Police Department
Zachary C. West
Webster County Sheriff’s Office
Holden Wilkinson
Allen County Sheriff’s Office
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.
Protecting the commonwealth’s schools are a top priority of Team Kentucky. In August, the Governor announced that 1,315 Kentucky public schools are following statutory safety requirements required by the School Safety and Resiliency Act and that the number of school resource officers protecting schools has increased more than 100% since he took office.
Since Gov. Beshear took office, fewer Kentuckians have returned to prison after their release. In February, it was announced that nearly 70% of those released from state custody have not returned.
The 2024 Crime in Kentucky report, released in June, shows that, from 2023 to 2024, there was an overall decrease of 7.66% in reports of serious crime.
For three straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2024, the commonwealth saw 30.2% fewer overdose deaths than the year prior. Gov. Beshear continued this progress earlier this month by scheduling 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I narcotic, making it illegal to sell, possess or distribute any isolated or concentrated forms of 7-OH in the state.
In June, 21 officers graduated from the first basic training class from the Western Kentucky Law Enforcement Training Facility. For the first time, Kentucky is simultaneously offering training in two locations. DOCJT will train officers in a building provided by the Madisonville Police Department while Team Kentucky constructs a $50 million multipurpose training facility in Madisonville.
In April, Gov. Beshear officially opened the doors to the new law enforcement training facility named in honor of Jody Cash, who lost his life in the line of duty. The facility is designed for officers to learn intensive and specialized training that will support all of Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
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 annual law enforcement training stipend, but the General Assembly chose to provide a combined $262 increase over the next two years. The budget signed by the governor has raised the stipend to an all-time high while expanding it to part-time officers for the first time in state history.
In June 2022, Gov. Beshear announced the Military to Law Enforcement Program (M-2-LE), which 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 their branch of the armed forces while they undergo law enforcement training at DOCJT.
