FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2023) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) announced 30 telecommunicators, representing 13 posts across the commonwealth, have graduated from the KSP Telecommunications Academy. This is the agency’s largest graduating class in its history.
“Our state owes these 30 Kentuckians a debt of gratitude for providing a lifeline to those in need and the officers in the field,” Gov. Beshear said. “Telecommunicators are both the eyes and ears for our first responders. They are the lifeline to anyone who calls needing safety, medical care, rescue or guidance. Kentucky is safe because they have answered to the call to serve.”
KSP telecommunicators handle dispatch duties for Kentucky state troopers, commercial vehicle enforcement officers, conservation officers and other emergency service agencies as needed. In 2022, telecommunicators answered over 622,000 calls resulting in more than 396,000 requests for assistance.
Recently, Gov. Beshear raised the annual salaries for telecommunicators by more than $8,000 and gave KSP telecommunicators the ability to receive an annual $3,100 training stipend. KSP telecommunicators now receive a starting salary of more than $41,000 annually.
“We are proud to graduate the largest Telecommunications Academy in KSP history,” said KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. “As you step into your roles as telecommunicators, remember that you are making a profound difference in the lives of others, bringing comfort to Kentuckians during their darkest hour.”’
The graduates of Class 22 received 160 hours of instruction over four weeks. Major training areas include legal liability, limits of telecommunicator authority, telecommunicator’s role in public safety, interpersonal communications, customer service, combating stress and PTSD, ethics and confidentiality, responder safety, basic fire dispatch, state emergency operation plans, criminal justice information systems, first aid training, emergency medical dispatch and special needs callers.
During the academy, graduates were required to successfully process scripted calls for service and demonstrate proficiency in obtaining pertinent information, dispatching first responders, providing emergency medical dispatch if needed, and correctly documenting information from the call for assistance. The training concluded with a computer simulation system that simulates their work environment in the radio room.
“Telecommunicators from the sixteen state police posts provide a link and a lifeline for the public to the vital emergency services they may need,” says KSP Telecommunications Training Instructor Jason Long. “Telecommunicators are unseen, but often heard, first responders to any incident and can provide lifesaving information at a moment’s notice.
Class 22 graduates and their assigned posts are:
- Alyca Aguilar, Post 1, Mayfield
- Matthew Barham, Post 12, Frankfort
- Brady Bell, Post 15, Columbia
- Hannajo Bradbury, Post 5, Campbellsburg
- Raymond Deem, Post 8, Morehead
- Vincent Dorsey, Post 2, Madisonville
- Jonathan Drake, Post 4, Elizabethtown
- Alexandra Shultz, Post 16, Henderson
- Jessica Gaddie-Cooper, Post 5, Campbellsburg
- Anthony Gibson, Post 7, Richmond
- Ralph Gosney, Post 5, Campbellsburg
- Jennifer Hall, Post 5, Campbellsburg
- Austin Hamilton, Post 13, Hazard
- Cheyenne Huckleby, Post 4, Elizabethtown
- MaKenzie Hughes, Post 15, Columbia
- Revan Marcum, Post 6, Dry Ridge
- Mallory McClure, Post 6, Dry Ridge
- Landon Meredith, Post 3, Bowling Green
- Jonetta Merritt, Post 3, Bowling Green
- Elliot Monroe, Post 12, Frankfort
- Timothy Neal Sr., Post 12, Frankfort
- Rebecca Parsons, Post 3, Bowling Green
- Phyllis Rankin, Post 5, Campbellsburg
- Shawn Rodriguez, Post 12, Frankfort
- Chris Simpson, Post 7, Richmond
- Ethan Smith, Post 13 Hazard
- Bradey Spicer, Post 13, Hazard
- Sierra Sproles, Post 9, Pikeville
- Landon White, Post 7, Richmond
- Jennifer Whitehead, Post 4, Elizabethtown
After each class, the ‘Charlotte Tanner Valedictorian’ Award is presented to the graduate who earned the highest-class GPA and demonstrated extraordinary effort during the KSP Telecommunications Academy. The award is named in honor of the founder of the KSP telecommunications program, Charlotte Tanner, who served the commonwealth for more than 50 years as a telecommunicator, radio room supervisor, and instructor.
This year’s Charlotte Tanner Valedictorian Award has been awarded to Sierra Sproles, with a grade point average of 96.67%.
The agency is continuing to recruit for individuals to join Team Kentucky to provide critical assistance and assurance to their neighbors and loved ones. To apply for a telecommunicator position with KSP, click here, or contact the KSP post nearest to you for more information.
The Beshear-Coleman Administration has taken several steps to support law enforcement while creating safer communities.
On Aug. 11, Gov. Andy Beshear and KSP announced that 51 cadets had graduated the agency’s training academy and were now ready to report for duty across the commonwealth.
In July, the Governor and Commissioner Burnett unveiled part of the administration’s upcoming budget plan to further protect law enforcement officers while making Kentucky a leader in public safety. Gov. Beshear’s proposed budget includes an additional raise for KSP troopers and officers, increased training stipend and an improved pension system for local and state law enforcement and funding for body armor.
Click here to review some of the additional actions the Beshear-Coleman administration has taken to support law enforcement, increase public safety and support crime victims.
Bottom row left to right: Phyllis Rankin, Alyca Aguila, Jonetta Merritt, Alexandra Shultz, Jennifer Hall, Shawn Rodriguez, Raymond Deem. Next row: Brady Bell, Sierra Sproles, Chris Simpson, Jennifer Whitehead, MaKenzie Hughes, Brady Spicer, Anthony Gibson. Next row: Matthew Barham, Elliott Monroe, Jessica Gaddie-Cooper, Mallory McClue, Austin Hamilton, Ethan Smith. Next Row: Rebeca Parsons, Hannajo Bradbury, Landon White, Revan Marcum, Ralph Gosney. Back row: Jonathan Drake, Landon Meredith, Vincent Dorsey, Cheyenne Huckleby, Tim Neal Sr.
