Gov. Beshear, Kentucky State Police Purchase Tool To Enhance Trooper and Officer Safety
Bulletproof vehicle gives troopers more protection in dangerous situations
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 22, 2026) – Today, Gov. Beshear announced that the Kentucky State Police (KSP) has added a specialized “Rook” armored vehicle to its fleet, enhancing the agency’s ability to respond to calls while prioritizing the safety of both troopers and the public.
“Our brave law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way to make our communities safer,” said Gov. Beshear. “Providing them the resources they need not only boosts public safety, but also helps ensure they can return home safely to their family at the end of each shift.”
The Rook is a versatile tactical vehicle designed to protect officers in complex law enforcement operations, including hostage situations, barricaded subjects, riot response and natural disaster scenarios. Its compact design allows it to operate in confined spaces where the use of traditional armored vehicles may be limited.
Interchangeable attachments, such as a hydraulic fork for removing obstacles and an armored personnel cage for a protected approach, allow troopers to intervene in dangerous situations. KSP’s Rook is the only such vehicle in the commonwealth and one of only 108 in the nation. The vehicle was purchased in December 2025 using asset forfeiture funds, which are funds seized from criminal activity that are in turn used to enhance public safety at no additional cost to Kentucky taxpayers.
“The Kentucky State Police is committed to providing our troopers with the best equipment available to safely resolve critical incidents,” KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. said. “This purchase is the direct result of successful investigative efforts by our troopers, turning funds that were derived from criminal activity into tools that help us combat crime and protect Kentuckians.”
The positive impacts of the Rook have already been proven. Since its acquisition, KSP’s Special Response Team has deployed the Rook eight times, and it has proven to be a life-saving tool, helping breach barricades and protect troopers while serving high-risk warrants.
“It doesn’t just impact officer safety, but the safety of all involved during high-risk tactical operations – including innocent civilians who may be caught in harm’s way, and even suspects,” said KSP Special Response Team Captain Dallas Greer. “This capability allows us to de-escalate tense, uncertain and rapidly evolving situations from a position of distance and cover while applying best practices that prioritize safety and, more often than not, lead to a peaceful resolution.”
By investing in advanced tools like the Rook, KSP continues its mission to protect and serve the people of Kentucky while ensuring troopers are equipped to meet evolving public safety challenges. To learn more about the mission of the Kentucky State Police, visit the agency’s website.
The Rook is just one way Team Kentucky is building a safer New Kentucky Home for all its people. The Governor’s public safety actions are creating safer communities and a better Kentucky.
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 commercia vehicle enforcement to return and serve the agency within specific timeframes.
Gov. Beshear continues to support and champion law enforcement. The recently passed 2026-2028 state budget allocates $13.1 million to construct a driving track at the Department of Criminal Justice Training’s new Madisonville facility and provides funds to raise the annual law enforcement training stipend to $4,746 for full-time officers by 2028 – another all-time high. 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.
Protecting the commonwealth’s children and schools are a top priority of Team Kentucky. In April, the Governor signed House Bill 7, which allows the use of camera monitoring systems on school buses to increase safety for students and establishes a penalty for those who violate stop arm signals and endanger children. This follows the Governor’s August 2025 announcement that 1,315 Kentucky public schools are following statutory safety requirements 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.
In December, the Governor joined the Kentucky State Police and first responders in Mayfield to bring local agencies onto the new Kentucky State Police radio system. The funding requested by the administration to the General Assembly is necessary to complete the radio system project statewide to ensure Kentuckians in every part of the commonwealth can receive first responder services with no gaps in radio coverage.
The 2024 Crime in Kentucky report, released in June 2025, shows that, from 2023 to 2024, reports of serious crime decreased by 7.66%.
For four straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2025, the commonwealth saw 22.9% fewer overdose deaths than the year prior.
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.
For more information about KSP’s commitment to creating a better Kentucky by making the commonwealth’s streets safer, communities stronger and the nation more secure by providing exceptional law enforcement, click here.
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Editor’s Note: Click here to see video footage and photos of the Rook
