September 1, 1966
is considered to be the birth date of the present Department
of Criminal Justice Training. On that date Eastern Kentucky
University received a small grant from the Office of Law Enforcement
Assistance, United States Department of Justice, to research
training needs, establish a limited training program at the
university and determine whether local police officers would
welcome training in this state.
The agency created
under this grant was named the Kentucky Peace Officers
Standards and Training Council. This agency conducted experimental
courses in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Kentucky State Police, Lexington Police Department and the
Eastern Kentucky University School of Law Enforcement. The
first course was conducted in July 1968 and was a management
level course. The first Basic Training course was a three
week course conducted in July 1969.
A bill to make
the Peace Officers Standards and Training Council
a state agency and police training mandatory was introduced
in the 1968 session of the General Assembly. The bill that
was passed established the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council
(KLEC) as a state agency but kept training on a voluntary
basis. Eastern Kentucky University continued to provide
office and training facilities to the agency.
In July 1972
the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund (KLEFPF)
was established by the legislature. This fund provided a
pay incentive to municipal and county police officers whose
agencies adopted the established KLEFPF standards to include
sending all full-time officers for training. Sheriffs, their
deputies and all other law enforcement agencies not specifically
named in the statute were excluded from the KLEFPF. However,
training was made available to them.
The training
programs proved to be successful and the Basic Training
courses increased from three weeks to four weeks, then six
weeks and finally to ten weeks.
In 1973 Governor
Wendell Ford issued an Executive Order (later confirmed
by the Legislature) which reorganized state government and
established a Kentucky Department of Justice headed by a
Secretary of Justice.
The Department
of Justice was comprised of three bureaus: the Bureau of
State Police, the Bureau of Corrections and the Bureau of
Training (presently the Department of Criminal Justice Training).
The Kentucky Law Enforcement Council staff members who conducted
the training courses comprised the Bureau of Training. Mr.
Robert C. Stone was named the first Commissioner. The remaining
Kentucky Law Enforcement Council Staff became the advisory
and certifying agency for law enforcement training in Kentucky.
Governor Fords
Executive Order provided for law enforcement training as
well as the training of corrections personnel and judges.
Two divisions were formed within the Bureau of Training,
the Division of Law Enforcement Training and the Division
of Judicial Training. A Corrections Training Division was
created in 1976.
In 1977 three
field offices (in-service training programs) were established
for the purpose of making training more accessible to police
departments in the northern and western areas of the state.
The Northern Kentucky office was located in Highland Heights
at Northern Kentucky University. The Louisville area office
was located on the Shelby Campus of the University of Louisville.
The Western Kentucky office was located in Bowling Green
at Western Kentucky University.
Also in 1977
the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council was moved from the
Bureau of Training and placed under the Deputy Secretary
of Justice and the Law Enforcement Services Section in Frankfort,
Kentucky. The purpose for this move was to separate training
and certification so that the same organization would not
be conducting training as well as evaluating and approving
its own training. At this time the Kentucky Law Enforcement
Council had responsibility for certifying instructors and
training programs as well as evaluating all training of
Kentucky law enforcement officers.
In 1978 the General
Assembly passed legislation mandating the training of Kentucky
coroners and designated the Bureau of Training to conduct
this training. This training was divided into two categories:
Basic Training and an annual In-Service Training.
Also in 1978
the Administrative Office of the Courts assumed all continuing
education of judges. The Division of Judicial Training became
the Division of Legal Services and was assigned the responsibility
for all instruction in legal matters for the Bureau of Training,
as well as legal research and bulletins.
In 1981 the Bureau
of Training was reorganized. The Corrections Training Division
was eliminated by the Bureau of Training and its function
was transferred to the newly created Corrections Cabinet.
The Law Enforcement Training Division was reorganized into
two programs: Basic Training and In-Service Training. The
Planning, Development and Evaluation Program was transferred
to the Legal Services Division.
In November 1981
the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund (KLEFPF),
previously located in Frankfort, was assigned to the Bureau
of Training. Also, the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council
(KLEC) staff was transferred back to the Bureau of Training
and was placed under the Office of the Commissioner. In
February 1983, the KLEC was transferred back to the Justice
Cabinet.
In 1982 the legislation
was enacted to standardize agency names and the Department
of Justice became known as the Justice Cabinet and the Bureau
of Training as the Department of Training. In March 1985,
by Executive Order, the Department of Training became the
Department of Criminal Justice Training.
In December 1984
the Department of Training created a Breath Test Training
Section to assume all breath test training of law enforcement
officers, which had previously been done by Eastern Kentucky
Universitys Traffic Safety Institute.
During the period
1984 to 1986, the Department of Criminal Justice Training
enacted procedures to require lesson plans, written course
objectives and improved testing. A formal uniform was adopted
by staff members. All departmental policies were reviewed.
Also during this time period, the Legal Services Division
was reorganized and renamed the Administrative Division.
The Law Enforcement Training Division was renamed the Training
Division and the Northern Kentucky field office was closed.
In 1986 the first
comprehensive Job Task Analysis for patrol level officers
in Kentucky was completed and a proposed 14 week Basic Training
curriculum was created. However, the new curriculum was
rejected by the 1986 General Assembly. The data obtained
from the Job Task Analysis was utilized to create a new
10 week curriculum. Also in 1986, the Communications Training
Section was created to meet the legislative mandate for
training police communications personnel.
The first 10
week Sheriff's Basic Training course, for sheriffs and their
deputies, conducted in 1987. The training was in basic police
skills with emphasis on the special duties of the office
of Kentucky sheriff. In 1989 the Kentucky sheriffs suggested
the basic training curriculum be the same as required of
other law enforcement officers. Sheriffs and their deputies
presently attend the same training as all other law enforcement
officers. Also in 1987, the Legal Training Section was created
as part of the Training Division.
On August 24,
1990 the Department of Criminal Justice Training held its
200th Police Basic Training Class graduation. Also in 1990
the General Assembly approved the plan for the addition
to the law enforcement complex for exclusive use as a facility
for training law enforcement officers. Construction of the
new addition started in February 1992 and was completed
in 1993. The Department of Criminal Justice Training staff
moved into the new facility, the Funderburk Building, on
September 1, 1993. During this same time period, a new firing
range and driving range, the McKinney Skills Complex, was
built within walking distance of the Funderburk Building.
In 1996 a career
path for the training instructor position was established
to allow for advancement within that position. In 1997 the
pay structure for training instructor was revamped to increase
the starting salary from the minimum rate of $1,820 per
month to $2,446 per month. .
Also in 1997
the DOCJT was designated by Governor Paul Patton to be the
lead agency for the Kentucky Police Corps Program. The Police
Corps is a national effort to motivate highly qualified
young people to serve our cities and counties for four years
as police officers on community patrol. Kentuckys
focus is on the rural and small police agencies. Scholarship
recipients receive up to $30,000 in college scholarships,
as well as full salary and benefits during their fours years
of service. Nine students were selected in 1998 to receive
the four year scholarships
A completed occupational
analysis of the job tasks performed by both non-ranking
officers and law enforcement agency telecommunications personnel
was completed in 1997 and utilized for the new Basic Training
curriculum and physical training standards.
In 1998 architectural
plans were developed for an adjacent residence hall of 200
beds, gymnasium, armory, 42 offices, and 7 classrooms in
a 138,000 square foot complex. Plans were also developed
for upgrading the McKinney Skills Complex to increase classroom
and office space. Construction is expected to begin in 1999.
In March 1998
the DOCJT was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation
for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) at its conference in
Vancouver, British Columbia. The agency became only the
second training facility in the United States to be accredited.
The Criminal
Justice Executive Development (CJED) Course, an eight week
program designed specifically for small to medium size law
enforcement agency administrators and managers, was offered
by the DOCJT in 1998. The course is intended to provide
students with the academic background, management techniques
and leadership skills to perform more effectively and efficiently
in their positions.
In July 1998
the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund (KLEFPF)
was restructured to include sheriffs and university police.
Approximately 1,350 peace officers were added to the fund,
which had increased the total number of peace officers to
5,600 by the end of 1998. The annual pay incentive for all
KLEFPF participants was also increased from $2,500 to $2,750.
In October 1998
physical training standards were established for the Peace
Officer Professional Standards (POPS) and Basic Training.
Also in 1998 a sixteen-week basic law enforcement curriculum
was developed and approved for use in 1999 by the Kentucky
Law Enforcement Council. On December 1, 1998 the Peace Officers
Professional Standards through the Kentucky Law Enforcement
Council, as a result of Governor Pattons 1998 Crime
Bill, went into effect.
The DOCJT staff
increased to 124 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees
in February 1999. The fleet of travel and training vehicles
increased to 53 requiring the construction of a new parking
lot at the rear of the Funderburk Building in 1998.
1999- Present
is currently being gathered for publication. If you have
any questions, please contact the Public
Information Office.
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