One Corbin resident, three London residents graduate KSP Academy

A Corbin resident, three London residents and 31 other people are now Kentucky State Police troopers following a graduation ceremony from the Kentucky State Police Academy Friday. Their addition to the force brings the agency’s strength to a total of 809 troopers serving the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Thirty-five new Kentucky State Police Troopers were sworn in at graduation ceremonies held in Frankfort on Feb. 1.

“It is a profound honor today to welcome the newest members of the Commonwealth’s ‘Thin Gray Line’,” Gov. Matt Bevin said Friday. “The Kentucky State Police’s 97th cadet class carries forward an incomparable tradition of servant leadership to our communities. As Kentuckians, we are grateful for their sacrificial service, we pray for their safety, and we commit to support them even as they serve and protect us.”

Chris Johnson of Corbin and Jonathan Bowman of London have been assigned to Post 6 in Dry Ridge.

Darrell Hicks of London has been assigned to Post 8 in Morehead, and Jansen Hacker of London has been assisted to Post 14 in Ashland.

A training officer will supervise each new trooper for eight weeks after they report to their post assignments.

KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders said the new troopers were a welcome addition to the ranks, noting that 58 troopers retired from the agency in 2017.

“Who will fill their shoes,” he asked. “Who will walk in their footsteps and protect the citizens of the Commonwealth?”

Sanders challenged the families and friends of the new troopers to help in the recruitment process.

“One of the best ways to support current troopers is to make sure the agency has a steady flow of quality recruits to maintain our strength in the field,” he said. “So keep us in mind when talking to your sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and neighbors about careers. Law enforcement is a noble profession that provides opportunities to contribute to society in many positive ways.”

Kentucky Justice Secretary John Tilley praised the dedication of the new troopers.

“I’m immensely proud of the hard work and commitment these troopers have demonstrated at the academy and eager to have them serving our communities,” he said. “We should all be thankful to have so many professionals at KSP who are dedicated to public safety and willing to make sacrifices on our behalf.”

The new troopers are part of the agency’s 97th cadet class. They reported for training on Aug. 12, 2018 in a class that consisted of 61 cadets. Twenty-six resigned during the program.

The training included 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, 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.