29 New Law Enforcement Officers Ready to Protect Their Communities
On January 15, 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 in Richmond. These law enforcement officers now return home to serve, protect and create a safer New Kentucky Home.
“Completing basic training is no small feat, and all of Kentucky is proud of you for what you have done here,” Gov. Beshear said. “Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made and those you will continue to make. My family and I, and all of Kentucky, are praying for your safety.”
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 565 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 1,747 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 29 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.
“I appreciate the commitment from Class 565,” said DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse. “I am confident in the professional service they will provide to all Kentuckians across the commonwealth’s 120 counties.”
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 565 graduates and their agencies are:
Brady T. Anderson
Paris Police Department
Khrystian M. Butler
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police Department
Preston W. Coon
Independence Police Department
Callen P. Crumbaker
Lebanon Police Department
Kenneth J. Devoe
Logan County Sheriff’s Office
Johnathan Z. Elam
McKee Police Department
Nicholas J. Groene
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police Department
Logan R. D. Hacker
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
Christopher L. Hedge
Greenup County Sheriff’s Office
Justin L. Hilliard
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
William L. Hobbick
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office
Jacob M. Holley
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police Department
Samuel M. Holt
Kenton County Police Department
Drake L. Jenkins
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Caden A. Jennings
Leitchfield Police Department
Christopher C. Keen
Lawrenceburg Police Department
Jonathan D. Kicinski
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Matthew C. Kuhn
Lawrenceburg Police Department
Aaron J. Lyons
Lawrenceburg Police Department
Walter T. Marker
Clay County Sheriff’s Office
Kenneth T. Mayberry
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Joiner L. Medina
Shively Police Department
Devin M. Mullins
Independence Police Department
Jack Newsome
Louisville Regional Airport Authority
Andrew J. Oisten
Nicholasville Police Department
Tyler J. Setter
Covington Police Department
Derrick N. Smallwood
Radcliff Police Department
James D. Smallwood
Liberty Police Department
Tien Anh N. Tran
Lawrenceburg Police Department
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 last 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 April 2025, 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.
