Iconic Class 100 Graduates from Kentucky State Police Training Academy
Kayla Gauze, Belfry, Ky., Wesley Music, Paintsville, Ky., Jerry Sparks II, Grayson, Ky., and Skyler Taylor, Hazard, Ky.
Ashland, Ky. (Jan. 22, 2021) — Today, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Training Academy, along with the Governor’s Office and the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, presented graduation diploma’s to forty-five new troopers. Of those, four new troopers are assigned to Post 14. These cadets have special significance as they represent the one-hundredth training class since the inception of the agency in 1948.
KSP Post 14 Captain, James Goble is excited to welcome new troopers to Ashland. Goble said the new troopers are beginning a rewarding career and it will be an honor to serve alongside them. “We are excited to have the new units here, to complete their training and get them out assisting the citizens of the Commonwealth.”
KSP acting Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said Cadet Class 100 should be proud of their accomplishments today but know that their actual journey begins in the morning.
“Tomorrow will start the true ‘first day’ of their careers as Kentucky State Troopers. I challenge each of these new troopers to take that journey with humility, compassion, and a thirst to be better every day than they were the day before,” said Burnett.
The troopers earned their badges after completing twenty-four weeks of intense training while following ‘Healthy at Work’ guidelines, unlike any other cadet class in history have undergone. The training included more than 1,000 hours of classroom and field study in subjects such as constitutional law, juvenile and traffic law, use of force, weapons training, defensive tactics, first aid, high speed vehicle pursuit, criminal investigation, computer literacy, hostage negotiations, evidence collection, radio procedures, search and seizure, crash investigation, drug identification, traffic control, crowd control, armed robbery response, land navigation, electronic crimes, sex crimes, hate crimes, domestic violence, bomb threats and hazardous materials.
Seventeen cadets earned their Associate’s Degrees in General Occupational and Technical Studies from the Bluegrass Community and Technical College during their 24-weeks at the training academy. These cadets benefited from new hiring guidelines established by state legislature in 2017.
The Post 14 troopers who received their associate’s degree included Kayla Gauze or Belfry, Ky. and Jerry Sparks II of Grayson, Ky. Through this revision, anyone who possesses a high school diploma or GED, and has three years of full-time work experience can apply for employment as a KSP Trooper and earn an associate’s degree during the training process.
