Kentucky State Police tell lawmakers they face recruitment, training and retirement pressures

Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr. told a legislative committee that the agency has taken steps to rebuild staffing but continues to face recruitment and retention pressures that could affect coverage across the Commonwealth.

Speaking to lawmakers, Burnett said cadet class 107 (which began in May) received 85 conditional offers and 81 accepted; the class started with 80 cadets and ‘‘as I sit here this morning’’ 48 remained. He described common reasons for attrition during the academy as failing to meet physical standards, homesickness and being unprepared for academy demands, and said exiting cadets complete videotaped exit interviews.

The commissioner walked the panel through five years of cadet-class figures: the 2025 cadet class 106 started with 65 and graduated 32; in 2024 two classes ran (class 105 started 87, graduated 36; class 104 started 76, graduated 41); 2023’s class 103 started 103 and graduated 55; 2022’s class 102 started 65 and graduated 41; and 2021’s class 101 started 114 and graduated 71.

Burnett said KSP’s overall personnel totaled 1,952 as of June 12 (sworn and civilian). He reported a chapter-16/sworn total of 1,040 and also provided a detailed breakdown listing 932 troopers, 66 of whom are designated as trooper Rs (retirees rehired on contract). Specialty staffing cited included 57 commercial vehicle enforcement officers and small numbers in arson, hazardous-investigation and other specialist roles.

On pay and incentives, Burnett credited past legislative support for rebuilding ranks: he cited a historic $15,000 pay incentive and said a CPI-based 2.7% increase will take effect July 1, 2026. He told lawmakers that House Bill 500 provides guaranteed overtime (‘‘up to $4,600 in available overtime annually’’) and said a new cadet arriving in May 2027 will have a starting compensation package of about $71,000 when stipend and per diem are included.

To reduce attrition tied to time away from home, Burnett said KSP plans to shorten the academy from 24 to 22 weeks for an upcoming class and add more virtual instruction. He emphasized steps to preserve training quality — pairing each cadet with a mentor, pre-arrival instructional videos and an enhanced field-training officer program of about 12 weeks after graduation.

Burnett described an expanded apprenticeship pipeline allowing 18-year-olds to work as telecommunicators or CVE inspectors, complete roughly 600 hours and receive a guaranteed academy slot. He also highlighted a youth ‘‘Trooper Island’’ week intended to educate teenagers about academy life and encourage future applicants.

Lawmakers pressed the commissioner on female recruiting, post-graduation retention and pension effects. Burnett described targeted female recruiting initiatives (a KSP women’s summit, mentorship focus and community outreach) and said the agency ‘‘is not where we need to be’’ on gender parity but has dedicated recruiters and programs. On pension tiers, he said 165 troopers and officers are currently eligible to retire and argued that past pension reform and years of low pay created a ‘‘hole in the middle’’ of midcareer retention; he described the ability to bring retired troopers back under a retired-contract status as a helpful tool.

Burnett also described operational breadth — KSP’s 16 posts, forensic lab, critical-incident teams, commercial vehicle enforcement and partnerships with federal agencies — as a reason the agency must remain competitive on pay and benefits to meet statewide public-safety needs.

The committee moved on to questions after Burnett’s presentation; lawmakers did not take formal action during the session.

Sources and attribution: Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr.; questioners included Representative Cook, Representative Dunworth and Representative Gentry. Numbers and program descriptions are taken from the presenter’s statements to the committee.