New Kentucky State Police Podcast Helps To Continue Building Trust in Law Enforcement
Episode one of Trooper Talk podcast now available to the public
Editor's Note: Click here to access the Trooper Talk logo and video teaser/b-roll

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 14, 2026) – The Kentucky State Police (KSP) invites Kentuckians to pull up a seat and join the conversation with the launch of its new podcast, Trooper Talk. Each episode will give listeners an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the agency through candid conversations with the men and women who serve while also offering crime prevention tips, public safety insights and information about career opportunities with KSP.

Trooper Talk will feature officers and employees from across the state, with two 20-plus-year veterans hosting the debut episode. Trooper Corey King, Post 16 Henderson, joins Trooper Scottie Pennington, Post 11 London, to pull back the curtain on their journeys as state troopers.

“Trooper Talk goes beyond the flashing lights and headlines to talk about the people behind the badge,” Trooper King said. “Every member of the Kentucky State Police has a story to tell – what inspired them to serve, the challenges they've faced, and the moments that have shaped their careers. Through real conversations, we hope listeners gain a better understanding of who we are and why serving Kentucky means so much to us.”

Future episodes will expand to highlight historic solved cases and revisit current cold cases – showcasing KSP’s investigative successes while encouraging the public to share information that could help bring long-awaited answers to unsolved cases.

Episode one of Trooper Talk, “Shining the Brass,” is available today on KSP's website, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Episodes will be released every other Tuesday, with episode two, “The Great Honey Bun Fail,” being available July 28.

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.

The 2025 Crime in Kentucky report, released last month, showed the second consecutive decrease in reports of serious crime in the commonwealth. From 2024 to 2025, reports of serious crime decreased by 8.14%.

Since Gov. Beshear took office, more than 2,700 officers have graduated from one of Kentucky’s law enforcement training academies. As of the beginning of this month, 1,876 officers have graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training Basic Training Course and 307 have graduated from the Kentucky State Police Training Academy.

To continue increasing the amount of law enforcement officers protecting the commonwealth and to support the work of KSP, the Governor recently signed Senate Bill 102 to make it possible for retired KSP troopers appointed to Trooper R Class or commercial vehicle enforcement to return and serve the agency within specific timeframes. 

In April, Team Kentucky broke ground on the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s new Madisonville campus. When completed, the $50 million project will house two buildings – a 42,800-square-foot classroom and administration building providing learning space, offices and recruit showers and changing areas, as well as a 30,625-square-foot high bay building, which will house an open training area, additional classroom space and gym equipment. The recently passed 2026-2028 state budget also allocates $13.1 million to construct a driving track at the new facility. The General Assembly did not include the full $64.8 million requested by the Governor in his executive budget proposal to construct both a driving track and an indoor firing range at the Madisonville facility. 

For four straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2025, the commonwealth saw 22.9% fewer overdose deaths than the year prior. 

Since Gov. Beshear took office, fewer Kentuckians have returned to prison after their release. For two years in a row, recidivism rates in the commonwealth have decreased, meaning that nearly 70% of those released from state custody have not returned. 

In December, the Governor joined KSP and first responders in Mayfield to bring local agencies onto the new Kentucky State Police radio system. In his 2026-2028 executive budget proposal, Gov. Beshear requested funding to finish the project and ensure statewide coverage. The budget recently passed by the General Assembly did not provide the funding needed.

Last September, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman joined KSP to break ground on a new, state-of-the-art Drivers’ Skills Pad at the agency’s training academy in Frankfort. The $2.7 million project will provide troopers, officers and cadets with a facility dedicated to safely practice and refine advanced driving techniques. 

In April of last year, Gov. 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. 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. 

As the Governor recommended in January 2022, $12.2 million was included in the state budget for KSP to purchase body cameras, which is the first time in the commonwealth’s history that funding has been allocated for this much-needed expense.