Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) announced the largest academy class in seven years, including 100 cadets, reported to Frankfort Oct. 3. The new recruits include 87 traditional and 13 LEAP (law enforcement accelerated program) cadets.
“Our troopers are the primary law enforcement officers for the state, often assisting local law enforcement, and serving in a multitude of situations, many of which are hard for most people to even imagine,” said Gov. Beshear. “On behalf of the commonwealth, thank you to these 100 men and women who have chosen to wear the badge of honor to create a better, safer Kentucky for all. Only a select few among us are called to serve our fellow brothers and sisters in this role and I am grateful to have each and every one of you sign up to join Team Kentucky.”
In Jan. 2021, the Governor announced that he was including $500,000 in his Better Kentucky Budget for KSP to expand its recruitment efforts, addressing the agency’s recruitment, retention and personnel needs.
KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. says the size of cadet class 101 is a direct result of the support the agency received from the Beshear-Coleman administration and Kentucky General Assembly.
“By strengthening KSP’s essential workforce, our agency is improving public safety, maintaining critical services and better reflecting the diverse communities we serve,” said Commissioner Burnett. “I am honored to have this new class start what I hope will be a long and fulfilling public safety career at KSP. A career focused on enhancing KSP’s mission of providing safety through service, integrity and professionalism.”
Traditional cadet classes include twenty-four weeks of basic training with 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, first aid, high speed vehicle pursuit, criminal investigation, computer literacy, hostage negotiations, evidence collection, radio procedures, search and seizure, crash investigation, drug identification, crowd control, armed robbery response, land navigation, electronic crimes, sex crimes, hate crimes, domestic violence, bomb threats, hazardous materials, implicit bias, race relations and social intelligence. LEAP class candidates attend the academy with at minimum two years of law enforcement experience and undergo an accelerated thirteen week academy.
“Our training is rigorous to meet the standards of today’s modern society,” Commissioner Burnett said. “We push them physically and mentally to prepare them for whatever circumstance they may face after graduation. The agency’s expectations are high because the citizens of Kentucky deserve a trooper who is highly trained and disciplined in their duties.”
Cadet class 101 is tentatively scheduled to graduate in February of 2022.
The mission of KSP is to promote public safety through service, integrity and professionalism using partnerships to prevent, reduce and deter crime and the fear of crime, enhance highway safety through education and enforcement and safeguard property and protect individual rights.
The number one priority for KSP this year is creating a better Kentucky by making the commonwealth’s streets safer, communities stronger and the nation more secure by providing exceptional law enforcement made up of a diverse workforce. The agency’s recruiting efforts include the addition of minority troopers in the recruitment branch and a marketing initiative using micro-targeting to reach individuals from Kentucky’s 120 counties. The innovative digital ads were launched in unique venues, such as colleges and universities, outdoor billboards in rural communities, social media and streaming television platforms.
Additionally, KSP is also partnering with Dr. Aaron Thompson of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and Vikki Stone of the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet, and working closely with retired minority KSP Troopers, to further improve their diversity recruitment efforts.
“The agency is seeing positive results from the recruitment branch efforts, which has paid off with the largest cadet pool KSP has had in years,” said KSP Recruitment Branch Commander Sergeant Michael Murriell. “All of us are excited to watch this new group of men and women grow as they journey through their academy training.”
Individuals interested in becoming a trooper can visit www.JoinKSP.com.
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