Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 27 Graduates of Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 165
On June 6, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 27 dispatchers from across Kentucky 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.
“Your commitment to your community and commonwealth is honorable,” Gov. Beshear said. “You are the lifeline to those who are experiencing the roughest moments of their lives. Thank you for answering the call to serve and being a calm voice amid chaos.”
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 165 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.
“Choosing to become a member of a time-honored profession is admirable,” said DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse. “It carries with it a commitment of honor and professionalism. I thank you for your commitment and wish you the best of luck in your careers.”
Class 165 graduates and their agencies are:
Jonathan G. Atwood
Bowling Green P.D.
Ashley N. Burdette
Frankfort P.D.
Delanie G. Campbell
Elizabethtown P.D.
Cameron P. Crawford
Meade Co. E-911
Emily G. Dillon
Lawrence Co. 911
Miranda Kathryn Dowell
Breckinridge Co. Sheriff’s Office
Carys H. Earlywine
Fleming Co. 911
Kaylynn Renee Jackson
Clay Co. 911
Kristen N. Jordan
Versailles P.D.
Halee B. Lanigan
Pulaski Co. 911
Laura Kathryn Ledford
Bell Co. 911
Austin K. Lilly
Warren Co. Sheriff’s Office
Hunter T. Mattingly
Hancock Co. 911
Nicholas Ryan Meeks
Paducah-McCracken Co. E-911
Ethan W. Pack
Paintsville/Johnson Co. E-911
Samuel Dean Pennington
Grayson Co. Dispatch
Taylor B. Richey
Bluegrass 911 Central Comm.
Berri Simpson
Union Co. 911
Emarie J. Simpson
Pulaski Co. 911
Tonya Lynn Sizemore
Lee Co. 911
Aaron D. Slusher
Magoffin Co. 911
Shelby L. Smith
Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central Dispatch
Suzanne M. Wartmann
Northern KY University P.D.
Rochelle M. Willis
Todd Co. Dispatch
Kayla Nicole Wingfield
Bowling Green P.D.
Amanda G. Woosley
Whitley Co. 911
Miranda L. Zunun
Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central 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.
Recently, Gov. Andy Beshear was joined by members of the Cash family, the Kentucky law enforcement community and the Department of Criminal Justice Training to officially open the doors to the 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 Office. The Beshear administration broke ground on the Jody Cash Multipurpose Training Facility in July 2023. The facility is a 42,794-square-foot facility with a 50-yard, 30-lane firing range designed for officers to learn intensive and specialized training that will support training all of Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
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 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.
