The Kentucky State Police (KSP) is a department of the

Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet (JPSC) is an agency of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky that is responsible for providing law enforcement, criminal justice and correctional services to the citizens of Kentucky. The Cabinet is hea ...

, and the official State Police force of the

Commonwealth of Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, responsible for statewide law enforcement. The department was founded in 1948 and replaced the

Kentucky Highway Patrol The Kentucky Highway Patrol was founded in 1936 when the Division of Highway Patrol was created as a part of the Kentucky State Highway Department. The Highway Patrol began with 40 officers who enforced traffic laws on Kentucky roads. By 1948 the ...

. The department's sworn personnel hold the title ''State Trooper'' and are addressed as ''Trooper'' (with the exception of sworn Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Facilities Security Branch personnel, both of which hold the title and are addressed as ''Officer'') and its nickname is ''The Thin Gray Line''.

History

In 1948, the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in ...

enacted the State Police Act, creating the Kentucky State Police and making Kentucky the 38th state to create a force whose jurisdiction extends throughout the given state. The act was signed July 1 of that year by Governor

Earle C. Clements Earle Chester Clements (October 22, 1896 – March 12, 1985) was an American farmer and politician. He represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and was its 47th Governor, serving ...

. The force was modeled after the Pennsylvania State Police. The force was the successor agency to the

, and inherited the equipment and officers from that organization. KSP is the premier law enforcement agency of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, having full jurisdiction in all 120 counties and all 33 independent cities. Guthrie F. Crowe served as the force's first commissioner. Until 2013, KSP training materials instructed officers to "meet violence with greater violence" and to be "ruthless killer , and featured a quotation from

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Posts

Kentucky State Police troopers operate from 16 regional posts: West Troop contains Posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 15 and 16. East Troop contains Posts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14. there is also Regional Offices of the KSP Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement. West Troop contains Regions 1, 2 and 3. East Troop contains Regions 4, 5 and 6. The Special Enforcement Troop contains Cannabis Suppression, West Drug Enforcement, East Drug Enforcement, Aircraft Support, Vehicle Investigations, Special Operations and the Critical Incident Response Team. ''West Troop'' *Post 1: Mayfield *Post 2: Madisonville *Post 3:

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

*Post 4: Elizabethtown *Post 5: Campbellsburg *Post 12: Frankfort *Post 15: Columbia *Post 16:

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

''East Troop'' *Post 6: Dry Ridge *Post 7: Richmond *Post 8: Morehead *Post 9: Pikeville *Post 10: Harlan *Post 11:

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

*Post 13: Hazard *Post 14: Ashland The KSP Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement operates from six regional offices: ''West Troop'' *Region 1

*Region 2

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

*Region 3 Georgetown ''East Troop'' *Region 4

*Region 5 Morehead *Region 6 Pikeville In addition, the ''Special Enforcement Troop'' includes the following branches: *Cannabis Suppression *West Drug Enforcement *East Drug Enforcement *Aircraft Support *Vehicle Investigations *Special Operations *Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)

Organization

Uniforms of the KSP

Troopers wear the standard French gray KSP uniform, consisting of a short sleeve and long sleeve version. Winter trousers are charcoal gray with a 1" black stripe down the side. Summer trousers are French gray with 1" black stripe. Patent leather chukka high top shoes are worn with both uniforms. The badge is worn on the left side of the shirt, with the trooper's name plate directly below on the left breast pocket flap. Officers wear their rank insignia on the shirt collar while all other troopers wear their rank, if applicable, on their shirt sleeves. A white crew neck T-shirt is worn under the uniform shirt. KSP requires a tie with long sleeve it is tucked into the uniform shirt. The

campaign hat A campaign hat, sometimes called campaign cover, is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners. The campaign hat is occasionally referred to as a Stetson, derived from its origin in the company ...

is French gray in color, and troopers are issued two hats: straw for summer and felt for winter. A Kentucky State Police full color brass seal is worn on the front of the hat. The hat cord is light gray. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers uniforms are identical to that of troopers except that the uniform and campaign hats are tan instead of French gray. Facilities Security Branch uniforms are tan shirts and black pants with a dark straw campaign hat and have a special Facilities Security Branch shoulder patch instead of the standard KSP shoulder patch.

Vehicles

The Kentucky State Police use a variety of police cruisers and patrol vehicles. The current fleet consists of: * Dodge Charger 5.7L AWD PPV *

Ford Super Duty The Ford Super Duty (short for F-Series Super Duty) is a series of heavy-duty pickup trucks produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 1999 model year. Slotted above the consumer-oriented Ford F-150, the Super Duty trucks are an expansion of ...

Crime Scene A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal investigation. This evidence is collected by crime scene investigators (CSI) and law enforcemen ...

Response vehicle (one unit per post) *

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...

Utility Police Interceptors (Commercial Vehicle Enforcement & Post Supervisor) *

Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...

Police Interceptors (Facilities Security) * Chevrolet Tahoe PPV The Dodge Charger 5.7L AWD PPV currently serves as the primary KSP fleet vehicle. Due to Ford's discontinuation of the CVPI in 2011 KSP tested a series of vehicles to replace the CVPI between 2012 and 2013. These tests included the Chevy Caprice PPV,

, and Dodge Charger PPV. The KSP Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement currently utilize the

Utility Police Interceptor as they retire their fleet of CVPI's and

Chevrolet Caprice The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960s ...

PPV's. The KSP Facilities Security Branch will replace their CVPI's with

-based Police Interceptors.

Sidearm

In 2017 troopers transitioned from the Glock Model 35 .40 S&W to the

Glock Model 17 Glock Ges.m.b.H. (trademarked as GLOCK) is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock. While the company is best known for its line of polymer- framed pistols, it also produces field ...

9mm as their primary sidearm. Troopers also carry a Glock 43x 9mm as their backup sidearm. The Walther PPK/S as a backup sidearm as well. Prior to 2017 troopers carried a traditional 12 gauge shotgun as their long-range alternative to their sidearm and transitioned to a M&P15 patrol rifle (.223). Prior to the Glock Model 35 troopers carried the

10mm The following are examples of orders of magnitude for different lengths. __TOC__ Overview Detailed list To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various lengths between 1.6 \times 10^ metres and 10 ...

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...

(Model 1076 was used).

Overview

The department's headquarters are located at 919 Versailles Road in Frankfort while its training academy is located in the former Frankfort Career Development Center at 380 Coffee Tree Road in Frankfort. Cadets training to become troopers undergo a 24-week, paramilitary-style training program. Potential cadets who hold their Kentucky Peace Officers Professional Standards (POPS) certification and have two years of experience as a local, county or state (including Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers, Kentucky State Park Rangers and Conservation Officers with the

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state. A commissioner appointed by the ...

) law enforcement officer in Kentucky are eligible to apply to become troopers through the department's Law Enforcement Accelerated Program (LEAP). Those accepted as LEAP cadets must meet all of the other requirements for acceptance into the KSP Academy and undergo an accelerated 13-week academy training class. Sworn Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers undergo an initial 18 weeks of basic law enforcement officer training at the Department of Criminal Justice Training Academy on the campus of

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online u ...

in Richmond unless they have already completed this training at an earlier date. This is followed by a four-week training program at the KSP Academy that provides specialized training on commercial vehicle compliance and highway safety. After graduation, probationary troopers & CVE officers must complete field training under the supervision of a training trooper/officer at their assigned post (troopers) or region (CVE officers). Officers with the KSP Facilities Security Branch must meet the requirements for and receive a Special Law Enforcement Officer (SLEO) commission under KRS 61.900-930 as well as undergo specialized training, including firearms training. KSP telecommunicators must complete a six-week training program at the KSP Academy. The KSP operates the state's system of regional crime labs. In addition, the KSP Facilities Security Branch, along with specially assigned state troopers, is responsible for protecting the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Lieutenant Governor, members of the

and state property, including the

Kentucky State Capitol The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the state government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic P ...

Complex. On July 14, 2008, the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement department, which is responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement, became an operational division of the KSP. The department also operates Trooper Island Camp, a juvenile crime prevention program at Dale Hollow Lake State Park. On February 15, 2017, then-Commissioner Rick Sanders announced the formation of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). Experienced KSP detectives from throughout the Commonwealth were chosen to investigate Officer Involved Shootings (OIS) as well as Critical Incidents that involved Police or Corrections agencies.

Rank structure

Structure

*Commissioner of the State Police **Executive Security Branch **Legal Office **Administration Division ***Programs ****Drivers Testing Branch ****Facilities Security Branch ****Financial and Grant Management Branch ****Highway Safety Branch ****Inspections and Evaluation Section ****Legislative Security Branch ****Media Relations Branch ****Strategic Planning Branch ***Internal Operations ****Academy Branch ****Human Resources Branch ****Internal Affairs Branch ****Properties Management and Supply Branch ****Recruitment Branch **Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division ***West Troop ****Region 1 ****Region 2 ****Region 3 ***East Troop ****Region 4 ****Region 5 ****Region 6 **Operations Division ***West Troop ****Post 1 ****Post 2 ****Post 3 ****Post 4 ****Post 5 ****Post 12 ****Post 15 ****Post 16 ***East Troop ****Post 6 ****Post 7 ****Post 8 ****Post 9 ****Post 10 ****Post 11 ****Post 13 ****Post 14 ***Special Enforcement Troop ****Cannabis Suppression ****West Drug Enforcement ****East Drug Enforcement ****Aircraft Support ****Vehicle Investigations ****Special Operations ****Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) **Technical Services Division ***Forensic Division ****Central Laboratory – ( Frankfort) ****Eastern Laboratory – ( Ashland) ****Jefferson Laboratory – (

) ****Northern Laboratory – ( Cold Spring) ****Southeast Laboratory – (

) ****Western Laboratory – ( Madisonville) ***Office of the Chief Information Officer ****Communications and Computer Technologies Branch ****Criminal Identification and Records Branch ****Headquarters Communications Branch ****Intelligence Branch

Demographics

2006

*Male: 69% *Female: 31% *White: 92% *African-American/Black: 4% *Asian: 4%

References

External links

Official Website for the Kentucky State Police
{{authority control Government agencies established in 1948 State law enforcement agencies of Kentucky 1948 establishments in Kentucky