39 New Law Enforcement Officers Ready To Protect Their Communities
On June 11, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 39 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth have graduated from the 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.
“Team Kentucky thanks you for answering the call to serve and protect our commonwealth,” Gov. Beshear said. “Your role in law enforcement is a noble one, and we wish you the best as you move forward in your careers.”
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 569 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 1,876 officers from the basic training academy. Today’s 39 graduating law enforcement officers will begin working with the state’s other 8,000 officers to create a commonwealth that is safer for all Kentuckians.
“Completion of basic training is just the beginning of a rewarding career in this honorable profession,” said DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse. “I am proud of the work you put in during your time here and ask you that you serve your communities with humility and compassion.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration is proud to welcome the 39 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 569 graduates and their agencies are:
Jayden Alley
Glasgow Police Dept.
Emily Amaya
Somerset Police Dept.
Ryan Bliss
Glasgow Police Dept.
Michael Bogan
Jefferson Co. Schools Police Dept.
Bradley Bunch
Pulaski Co. Sheriff’s Office
Mark Campbell
Morehead Police Dept.
Jonoah Carter
Northern Kentucky University Police Dept.
Nathan Carter
Cadiz Police Dept.
Houston Coons
Daviess Co. Sheriff’s Office
Taylor Danner
Madison Co. Sheriff’s Office
Keegan Flaherty
Covington Police Dept.
Christopher Flynn
Estill Co. Sheriff’s Office
Austin Ford
Edgewood Police Dept.
Daniel Gomez
Oak Grove Police Dept.
Charles Gray
Corbin Police Dept.
Jared Herzog
Glasgow Police Dept.
Braden Hill
Fort Mitchell Police Dept.
Brianna Hunter
Calloway Co. Sheriff’s Office
Randall Kersey
Cave City Police Dept.
Cody Maxey
University of Kentucky Police Dept.
Bradley Minor
Hodgenville Police Dept.
Bradley Moore
Northern Kentucky University Police Dept.
Tristan Parsons
Covington Police Dept.
Cyle Piechocki-Belbot
Hopkinsville Police Dept.
Cabryn Ping
Somerset Police Dept.
Adam Plock
Oak Grove Police Dept.
Andrew Shaw
Grant Co. Sheriff’s Office
Coltin Smith
Somerset Police Dept.
Cortney Squires
Paris Police Dept.
Jordan Stephens
Mt. Sterling Police Dept.
Jeffrey Stevens
Somerset Police Dept.
Lukis Stroupe
Cadiz Police Dept.
Lucas Turner
Beattyville Police Dept.
Austin Wallace
Allen Co. Sheriff’s Office
Ben Wedding
Princeton Police Dept.
Evan Williams
Alexandria Police Dept.
Michael Williams
Bullitt Co. Sheriff’s Office
Dagon Wise
Boyd Co. Sheriff’s Office
Ethan Woods
Richmond Police Dept.
DOCJT provides basic training for city and county police officers, sheriffs’ deputies, university police, airport police throughout the state, only excluding Louisville Metro Police Department, Lexington Police Department, Bowling Green Police Department and the Kentucky State Police, which each have independent academies.
DOCJT is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA is seeking public input regarding DOCJT’s compliance with CALEA standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. Click here to submit comments.
Beshear-Coleman Administration Commitment to Making Kentucky a National Leader in Public Safety
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 April, Gov. Beshear broke ground on DOCJT’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.
Until Team Kentucky completes the Madisonville campus, the commonwealth is offering basic training in facilities provided by the Madisonville Police Department. As of January, 37 officers have graduated from the Western Kentucky Law Enforcement Training Facility.
The Governor continues to support law and champion law enforcement. The recently passed 2026-2028 state budget also includes funds to raise the annual law enforcement training stipend to $4,746 for full-time officers by 2028 – another all-time high.
Protecting the commonwealth’s schools are a top priority of Team Kentucky. In August, the Governor announced that 1,315 Kentucky public schools are following statutory safety requirements required by the School Safety and Resiliency Act and that the number of school resource officers protecting schools has increased more than 100% since he took office.
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.
The 2024 Crime in Kentucky report, released in July 2025, shows that, from 2023 to 2024, there was an overall decrease of 7.66% in reports of serious crime.
For four straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2025, the commonwealth saw 22.9% fewer overdose deaths than the year prior.
In April 2025, Gov. Beshear officially opened 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 designed for officers to learn intensive and specialized training that will support all of Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded more than $13 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.
In June 2022, Gov. Beshear announced the Military to Law Enforcement Program (M-2-LE), which 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.
LATEST NEWS
LATEST ROLL CALL
LATEST BLUEGRASS BEAT
FOLLOW US