On March 6, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that 28 dispatchers from across Kentucky graduated from the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s (DOCJT) Public Safety Dispatch Academy and are now ready to begin answering the call to aid both citizens and law enforcement officers of the commonwealth.
Dispatch basic training is mandatory for any sworn or civilian employee who will dispatch law enforcement officers by radio at a Criminal Justice Information Systems agency.
Graduates of the academy have successfully completed a highly structured and comprehensive curriculum to satisfy mandated training requirements. Over four weeks, the graduates of Class 169 received 164 hours of academy instruction to satisfy these requirements.
Major training areas included identifying the role and responsibilities of the dispatcher, correct phone and radio procedures, handling emergency and nonemergency calls for service, using emergency medical dispatch protocols, and using the state and national criminal databases.
DOCJT Commissioner Mike Bosse emphasized the importance of dispatchers as the critical link between the public and first responders. The graduates of Class 169 and their respective agencies are as follows:
Lance Auker (Campbellsville Police Department)
Halyn Kristine Balon (Murray Police Department)
Danielle Bishop (Georgetown Police Department)
Paris R.Cameron (Owensboro-Daviess Co. Central Dispatch)
Emily Rose Case (Springfield/Washington Co. E-911 Dispatch)
Caine-Robert F. Cummins (Georgetown Police Department)
Mariah David (Jessamine Co. 911)
Amanda DeGripp (Morehead Police Department)
Alexis Dejarnette (Meade Co. Dispatch)
Rally Despain (Elizabethtown Police Department)
Jason A.Gannone (Frankfort Police Department)
Ashton T. Grigsby (Perry Co. 911)
Katharine Grinnell (Hardin Co. 911)
Mya Hammond (Boyd Co.PSCC 911)
Sara Susan Hara (Morehead Police Department)
Brittany Langston (Union Co.911)
Lindsey Mansur (Jessamine Co. 911)
Abigale Marchant (Scottsville Police Department)
Bryanna Martin (Bowling Green Police Department)
Katelyn McWaters (Hopkinsville Police Department)
Noah Medley (Frankfort Police Department)
Hunter W. Moncrief (Georgetown Police Department)
Bryan S. Neace (Perry Co. 911)
Jennifer Nemeth (Elliott Co.911)
Whitley Norton (Georgetown Police Department)
Jennifer Ross (Livingston Co. 911)
Zachary Salisbury (Greenup Co. 911)
Amanda M. Snider (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport AOC)
DOCJT provides basic training for various law enforcement agencies throughout the state, excluding a few with independent academies.
The agency is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which is seeking public input on DOCJT’s compliance with standards.
Governor Beshear’s administration has made public safety a top priority, resulting in numerous improvements in various areas such as school safety, recidivism rates, and overdose deaths.
Through initiatives like the Military to Law Enforcement Program and increased funding for law enforcement training, the administration is committed to making Kentucky a national leader in public safety.