Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 28 Graduates of Public Safety Dispatch Academy Class 169
On March 6, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 28 dispatchers from across Kentucky graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s (DOCJT) Public Safety Dispatch Academy and are now ready to begin answering the call to aid both citizens and law enforcement officers of the commonwealth.
“Dispatchers play an essential role for Kentuckians during their toughest moments,” Gov. Beshear said. “Your calm voice will be a light in darkness for so many, and all of Kentucky thanks you for choosing a career that serves your neighbors across our great commonwealth.”
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 169 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.
“Graduating from the public safety dispatch academy is more than completing a program – it’s accepting the responsibility of serving as the critical link between the public and first responders,” DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse said. “This milestone signals the beginning of a career defined by composure in high-stress situations, sound judgment, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our communities.”
Class 169 graduates and their agencies are:
Lance Auker
Campbellsville Police Department
Halyn Kristine Balon
Murray Police Department
Danielle Bishop
Georgetown Police Department
Paris R. Cameron
Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central Dispatch
Emily Rose Case
Springfield/Washington Co. E-911 Dispatch
Caine-Robert F. Cummins
Georgetown Police Department
Mariah David
Jessamine Co. 911
Amanda DeGripp
Morehead Police Department
Alexis Dejarnette
Meade Co. Dispatch
Rally Despain
Elizabethtown Police Department
Jason A. Gannone
Frankfort Police Department
Ashton T. Grigsby
Perry Co. 911
Katharine Grinnell
Hardin Co. 911
Mya Hammond
Boyd Co. PSCC 911
Sara Susan Hara
Morehead Police Department
Brittany Langston
Union Co. 911
Lindsey Mansur
Jessamine Co. 911
Abigale Marchant
Scottsville Police Department
Bryanna Martin
Bowling Green Police Department
Katelyn McWaters
Hopkinsville Police Department
Noah Medley
Frankfort Police Department
Hunter W. Moncrief
Georgetown Police Department
Bryan S. Neace
Perry Co. 911
Jennifer Nemeth
Elliott Co. 911
Whitley Norton
Georgetown Police Department
Jennifer Ross
Livingston Co. 911
Zachary Salisbury
Greenup Co. 911
Amanda M. Snider
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport AOC
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 fall 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.
For the first time, Kentucky is simultaneously offering basic training in two locations, Richmond and Madisonville. As of January, 37 officers have graduated from the Western Kentucky Law Enforcement Training Facility, which is currently in a building provided by the Madisonville Police Department. Team Kentucky is in the process of constructing a new, state-of-the-art facility in Madisonville, and Gov. Beshear's 2026-2028 executive budget requests an additional $64.8 million to construct the remaining critical elements of the facility, including an indoor firing range and a driving track.
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.
