Sixty-one recruits from throughout the Commonwealth and one other state reported to the Kentucky State Police Academy in Frankfort this week to begin 25 weeks of training that will determine whether they have what it takes to join “The Thin Gray Line.” Their ranks are an encouraging sight to the law enforcement agency which experienced a large number of retirements recently.
“Fifty-six troopers retired in July of this year,” said KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders. “That equals the entire amount who retired in 2017. This class will help replenish our ranks and puts us on the path to achieve the required operational strength needed to provide the level of service expected by the citizens of the Commonwealth.”
Lt. Kyle Nall, commander of the Kentucky State Police Academy in Frankfort, welcomed the new cadets at their initial formation.
Fifty-five of the cadets are male and six are female. One is Hispanic/Latino and one is African-American.
Fourteen of the cadets have bachelor’s degrees and eight have associate’s degrees. Thirty-one will be pursuing Associate’s Degrees in General Occupational and Technical Studies from the Bluegrass Community and Technical College during the training.
Nine have military experience. Two have prior law enforcement experience.
Geographically, the cadets represent 34 counties throughout Kentucky. One is from Missouri.
As part of their training, the cadets will complete more than 1,000 hours of classroom and field study that includes 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.
“The training program is both mentally and physically challenging,” said Lt. Kyle Nall, commander of the KSP Academy. “Historically, at least 35 percent of the cadets do not complete the program.”
The class is tentatively scheduled to graduate on February 1, 2019.
Applicants interested in future cadet classes should download the KSP mobile app or visit www.kentuckystatepolice.org, click on the Career Opportunities, Recruitment Home and How to Become a Kentucky State Trooper links. Information on both sites includes an outline of the application process, a list of minimum requirements and disqualifications, a downloadable application form with a list of supporting documents required and a downloadable study guide for the written test.
If more information is needed after visiting the website, applicants can call toll-free 1-866-360-3165 during office hours from 8 am- 4:30 pm (ET) Monday through Friday or leave a message any other time.
