Gov. Beshear Recognizes Lifesaving Work of Kentucky State Police Special Response Team in Rescue of Citizen and Adair County Deputies
Dash camera and body-worn camera footage capture rescue operation made possible by armored vehicle
FRANKFORT, Ky. (August 13, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear recognized the lifesaving work of the Kentucky State Police (KSP) for rescuing local law enforcement officers and a Kentuckian who were under fire from an armed suspect earlier this year. The rescue, which was captured on video, was made possible by the agency’s armored 2021 Chevrolet Suburban High Country.
“Thank you to our Special Response Team for their bravery in supporting their neighbors and their local law enforcement colleagues,” Gov. Beshear said. “This example of teamwork and selflessness represents the best of Kentucky.”
On April 20, 2026, deputies with the Adair County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) responded to a disturbance at a residence on Chestnut Grove Road in Columbia. Upon arriving, one deputy and another individual came under gunfire from an armed man. They took cover but remained pinned down for several hours. Two additional deputies attempted to rescue them using ballistic shields; however, they also came under fire and were forced to take cover, leaving all four individuals trapped.
Additional law enforcement agencies, including KSP troopers and officers, responded to assist. Upon arrival, they also came under fire from the barricaded suspect.
The KSP Special Response Team (SRT) was requested to the scene and upon arrival deployed the agency’s armored 2021 Chevrolet Suburban. Using the vehicle as a mobile shield, SRT troopers safely reached the trapped deputies and the civilian and brought them to safety.
“Our troopers and officers never know what they could encounter when responding to a call for help,” said KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. “By investing in advanced tools, KSP continues its mission to protect and serve the people of Kentucky while ensuring our personnel have the tools they need to safely respond to evolving public safety challenges.”
Purchased in 2021, the armored 2021 Chevrolet Suburban enhanced KSP’s ability to respond to high-risk incidents while prioritizing the safety of both troopers and the public. The NIJ III Armormax B6 armor the vehicle meets distinct ballistics protection standards required by the National Institute of Justice, including protection against rifle fire and armor-piercing rifle rounds.
“Our armored Suburban is a key piece of lifesaving equipment that is often used by our Special Response Team, allowing them to quickly deploy protective armor to critical incidents in austere locations where utilizing the Bearcat or Rook is neither feasible nor timely,” KSP Special Response Team Captain Dallas Greer said. “This Adair County critical incident is just one of many examples where the armored Suburban has been utilized to quickly and safely rescue officers and evacuate civilians while a suspect is actively trying to harm them.”
The armored Suburban is just one armored vehicle in KSP’s fleet supporting the Special Response Team. In December of last year, the agency purchased a Rook armored vehicle, a versatile tactical vehicle designed to protect officers in complex law enforcement operations, including hostage situations, barricaded subjects, riot response and natural disaster scenarios.
By investing in advanced tools like the Rook and the armored Suburban High Country, 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 Beshear-Coleman administration’s top priority is the safety of all Kentuckians. The Governor’s public safety actions are creating safer communities and a better Kentucky.
The 2025 Crime in Kentucky report, released in June, shows that, from 2024 to 2025, reports of serious crime decreased by 8.14%.
In April, Team Kentucky broke ground on the Department of Criminal Justice Training West: Gaines-Brown Campus in Madisonville. When completed, the $50 million project will provide state-of-the-art training to law enforcement heroes in Western Kentucky. The recently enacted state budget also allocates $13.1 million to construct a driving track at the new facility. The General Assembly did not include the full $64.8 million requested by the Governor to construct both a driving trach and indoor firing range at the facility.
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 commercial vehicle enforcement to return and serve the agency within specific timeframes.
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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 KSP and first responders in Mayfield to bring local agencies onto the new Kentucky State Police radio system. In his 2026-2028 executive budget proposal, Gov. Beshear requested funding to finish the project and ensure statewide coverage. The budget recently passed by the General Assembly did not provide the funding needed.
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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