Gov. Beshear, Kentucky State Police Welcome Cadet Class 106 the Next Generation of Troopers
64 cadets arrive at the State Police Training Academy with a mission of enhancing public safety
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 10, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the Kentucky State Police (KSP) welcomed 64 new cadets to the agency’s training academy to begin the journey of becoming a state trooper.
“To our new cadets, welcome to Team Kentucky – you have answered the most noble of calls to protect our commonwealth,” Gov. Beshear said. “We are grateful for your service and dedication to creating a New Kentucky Home for future generations.”
Cadet Class 106 consists of 64 individuals beginning their law enforcement careers, including three experienced officers from other agencies participating in KSP’s Law Enforcement Accelerated Program (LEAP), which enables seasoned officers to join the agency through a condensed training program.
“You have decided to take on one of the most demanding and honorable roles in public service,” said KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. “This training will test your strength, discipline and resolve, but it will also prepare you to make a real difference in the lives of Kentuckians.”
Cadet Class 106 will undergo an intensive 24-week training regimen with more than 1,000 hours of instruction and hands-on training in key areas such as constitutional law, crisis response, criminal investigations, juvenile and traffic law and community engagement. Their curriculum also includes weapons training, emergency medical response, high-speed pursuit tactics, crowd control, hazardous materials handling and education on implicit bias.
Cadets in Class 106 represent 48 counties across Kentucky, including: Adair, Anderson, Barren, Bell, Boone, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Calloway, Casey, Christian, Clay, Cumberland, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Grant, Graves, Greenup, Hardin, Harlan, Henderson, Henry, Hopkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kenton, Laurel, Lee, Leslie, Livingston, Madison, McCracken, McCreary, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Pike, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Scott, Washington, Whitley and Woodford. Additionally, cadets from Michigan and Tennessee are also represented.
“As these individuals begin their training, they are not just learning skills, they are forming the foundation for careers built on service, discipline and integrity,” said KSP Academy Commander Capt. Joey Vorbeck. “We are here to guide and prepare them for the realities of modern policing, with a focus on professionalism, ethics and community connection.”
The Beshear-Coleman administration has taken several steps to support law enforcement while ensuring Kentuckians are safe and feel safe in our new Kentucky home.
In April, the Governor 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 May 16, 2022, while serving as chief deputy of the Calloway County Sheriff’s Office. The Jody Cash Multipurpose Training 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. This facility will support training for all of Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded more than $12 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, and more than $149 million in grant funding to victim service agencies across the commonwealth.
Recently, Gov. Beshear announced that Kentucky has secured another low recidivism rate. Nearly 70% of people released from state custody over the past two years have not been re-incarcerated.
The 2024 Crime in Kentucky report, release in June, shows that from 2023 to 2024, of the 23 categories, 17 saw a decrease in crimes reported, indicating an overall decrease of 7.66% in reports of serious, Category A crime. Some of the notable data indicates an 11.55% decrease in drug/narcotic offenses, a 12.7% decrease in homicide offenses and a 13.78% decrease in sex offenses.
In May, Gov. Beshear announced that the 2024 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report showed that the commonwealth saw a 30.2% decrease in drug overdose deaths last year. This is the third consecutive annual decrease.
At the beginning of his second term, the Governor proposed a $500 increase to the law enforcement annual training stipend, but the General Assembly chose to provide a combined $262 increase over the next two years. The budget signed by the Governor raises the training stipend to an all-time high of $4,562 by fiscal year 2026. Additionally, the Governor is providing part-time law enforcement officers an annual training stipend for the first time in the history of the commonwealth.
Also, 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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