Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 23 Officers Graduate from the Academy of Police Supervision
On September 26, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 23 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth graduated from the Academy of Police Supervision Class 104.
“Congratulations to every graduate today and thank you for taking this step to lead by example as you continue to protect our commonwealth and our people,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thanks to your dedication, our communities are safer, and our people feel safer – and for that, I am grateful.”
The Academy of Police Supervision, 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 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.
“This moment marks an important milestone in your journey as law enforcement officers,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “I urge you to take what you have learned during your three weeks at the Academy of Police Supervision and use those skills to bring out the best in your fellow officers across the Commonwealth, even on the toughest days.”
APS Class 104 graduates and their agencies are:
Kendra Burawski
Louisville Metro Police Department
Patrick Carroll
Princeton Police Department
Charles Clark
Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Ronald Eckart
Elizabethtown Police Department
Jeremy Elder
Springfield Police Department
Matthew Fassler
Independence Police Department
Cody Fulkerson
Spencer County Sheriff’s Office
Beau Green
Paducah Police Department
Robert Hess
Richmond Police Department
Elijah Hunter
Williamsburg Police Department
Matthew Kenney
Berea Police Department
Samuel Knopp
Lebanon Police Department
Steven Krieger
Covington Police Department
Jack Leek
Hopkinsville Police Department
Kasey Niece
Fayette County Sheriff’s Office
Jordan Norris
Taylor Mill Police Department
Terry Riley
Hodgenville Police Department
Justin Skaggs
Radcliff Police Department
Coleman Sparks
University of Kentucky Police Department
Tyler Stevens
Greensburg Police Department
Mitchell Watson
Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office
Harrison Wells
Kentucky State Police
Jeremy Younger
Shelbyville 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.
In June, 21 officers graduated from the first basic training class from the Western Kentucky Law Enforcement Training Facility in Madisonville. The Beshear-Coleman administration welcomed the class in February. 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.
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.
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 their branch of the armed forces while they undergo law enforcement training at DOCJT.
