|
33 New Law Enforcement Officers Ready To Protect Their Communities
Graduates complete more than 800 hours of training to strengthen safety of commonwealth’s citizens
RICHMOND, Ky. (Aug. 7, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 33 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.
“Our law enforcement are among the most dedicated public servants, and today you join the ranks of heroes who serve our commonwealth each day,” Gov. Beshear said. “Britainy and I pray that you have a safe, fulfilling career, and we thank you for putting yourself first in the pursuit of a safer Kentucky.”
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 560 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 2,113 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 33 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.
“Over the last 20 weeks you have listened earnestly to the training and guidance from your class coordinator and instructors here at DOCJT in preparation for the great task ahead of you,” said DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse. “I urge you to carry their instruction with you and commit these skills to heart.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration is proud to welcome the 33 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 560 graduates and their agencies are:
Mason Arnold, Covington Police Department
Dalton Barron, Somerset Police Department
Alycia Bartlett, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office
Wesley Bell, Lebanon Police Department
Ethan Boyers, Lakeside Park/Crestview Hills Police Department
Dakota Butler, Georgetown Police Department
Joshua Combs, Newport Police Department
Justin Dial, Munfordville Police Department
Joseph Edwards, Lancaster Police Department
Joshua England, Somerset Police Department
Wesley Flowers, Warren County Sheriff’s Office
Jason Frazier, Winchester Police Department
Tatiana Gargac, Richmond Police Department
Nathan Jump, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Police Department
Patrick Kendall, Winchester Police Department
Larence Klopfer, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Police Department
Catherine Lane, Lebanon Police Department
Emanuale Laney, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office
Ebenezer Mollel, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office
Ethan Mull, Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office
Ricky Pingleton, Irvine Police Department
Jesse Ritchie, Georgetown Police Department
Bruce Schueman, Meade County Sheriff’s Office
Hunter Seiler, Glasgow Police Department
Chase Sheehan, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Police Department
Christopher Sizemore, Winchester Police Department
Steven Smith, Bell County Sheriff’s Office
Christopher Sullivan, Richmond Police Department
Diego Tavares, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Dalton Taylor, Tompkinsville Police Department
Mason Williams, Newport Police Department
Josiah Wilson, University of Louisville Police Department
Brian Wright, Georgetown Police Department
DOCJT provides basic training for city and county police officers, sheriffs’ deputies, university police and airport police throughout the state, only excluding the Louisville Metro Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Bowling Green Police Department, Owensboro Police Department and Kentucky State Police, each of which have independent academies.
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 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.
###
|
