Lt. Governor, Kentucky State Police Hold Awards Ceremony To Honor Civilian Employees
Employees recognized for their dedication to public safety in 2023
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 25, 2024) – Today, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) honored 15 civilian employees for their dedication to enhancing public safety. Awards presented include the 2023 Civilian of the Year, Career Achievement, Police Communications Support and Supervisor of the Year among others.
“Your work and dedication are helping us turn Team Kentucky’s four-plus years of progress into real prosperity,” Lt. Gov. Coleman said. “Some of you are the first voice someone hears when they are in danger; you help victims of crime navigate the criminal justice process; you process evidence that leads to justice; and you provide our officers with the knowledge and skills needed to best serve Kentuckians. This is no easy task, but you do it with grace, humility, courage and passion.”
KSP’s 800 civilian employees serve in a variety of roles from telecommunications, maintenance, driver testing, information technology, public relations and records support.
During the ceremony, KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. recognized the important role civilian employees play in linking law enforcement to the public. “Our civilian counterparts are the backbone of this agency and a lifeline to our sworn personnel. The continued success of the state police is a direct result of their dedicated public service and commitment. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything that you do.”
Commissioner Burnett presented the 2023 ‘KSP Civilian of the Year’ Award to Gary Thomas. Thomas is a 23-year veteran of the agency who serves as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst for the Intelligence Branch. Thomas provided tactical and strategic intelligence support during multiple KSP investigations, which led to the recovery of $5.2 million in cargo thefts. Thomas helped shut down an organized crime ring responsible for over $10 million dollars in thefts.
“It was an honor to be selected as the KSP Civilian of the Year,” said Thomas. “I have grown up in this agency and have had the privilege to work with the best. They took the time to invest in my career and helped me get where I am today. I could not do this without my KSP family, but even more so, without my family back home.”
The 2023 KSP civilian employee award recipients include:
Admin Services Award
Emily Perkins, Procedures Development Specialist II, Headquarters Frankfort
Career Achievement Award
Lou Ann Clayton, Security Threat Assessment Program Coordinator, Driver Testing Central Office Frankfort
Commercial Vehicle Support Award
Ramona Lawson, Inspector II, CVE East Region
Drivers Testing Award
Ronald Pillow, Commercial Driver’s License Examiner, Post 3 Bowling Green
Forensic Services Support Award
Ashley Cook, Forensic Scientist Specialist II, Jefferson Regional Laboratory
Information Technology Award
Shelvy Riffe, Information Systems Supervisor, Information Technology Branch Frankfort
Police Communication Support Award
Gerald Browning, Public Safety Telecommunicator III, Post 10 Harlan
Alex Jett, Public Safety Telecommunicator III, Post 12 Frankfort
William Graham, Public Safety Telecommunicator III, Post 3 Bowling Green
Post Operations Support Award
Melissa Brock, Administrative Specialist III, Post 10 Harlan
Katie Wiggins, Administrative Specialist I, Post 1 Mayfield
Records Technical Support
Bridget Stone, CJIS Compliance Specialist III, LINK Audit Branch, Post 16 Henderson
Special Enforcement Support Award
Gary Thomas, Criminal Intelligence Analyst II, Intelligence Branch Lexington
Supervisor of the Year Award
Shelly Job, Public Safety Telecommunication Manager, Post 12 Frankfort
Supplies Properties Management
Ricky Simpson, Maintenance Worker II, Post 12 Frankfort
The agency is recruiting interested individuals to join Team Kentucky who have an ambition of creating a better, safer commonwealth for future generations. For more information and to apply, click here.
The Beshear-Coleman administration believes every single Kentuckian has the right to feel safe in their community, workplaces and schools, and the Governor has taken steps to increase public safety.
During this past legislative session, the Governor signed House Bill 6 providing a 3% salary increase to all state employees effective July 2024, with another 3% increase to be applied next year.
Recently, the Commonwealth of Kentucky released the 2023 Crime in Kentucky report published by the Kentucky State Police. The annual statewide crime report indicates crime rates have remained stable with a decline in offenses for homicide, burglary, robbery, sex offenses, kidnapping and gambling. For the last three consecutive years, homicide rates have been declining.
Last month, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth have decreased for the second year in a row, with 2023 seeing a 9.8% decrease compared with the previous year.
The administration has also recorded the three lowest recidivism rates in over a decade.
In the last two years, the Governor’s administration has secured a historic more than $18,000 pay increase for KSP troopers and officers. Due to these increases and the tireless efforts from the KSP recruitment branch, more than 1,000 sworn personnel are now wearing the badge of honor, the highest number since 2017.
Click here to review some of the additional actions the Beshear-Coleman administration has taken to support law enforcement, increase public safety and support crime victims.
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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