Class 21 (left to right): Hunter Hedges, Elizabeth Smith, Kayla Spearman, Sarah Gowen, Cory Fields, Hannah Burgess, Christy Ray, Mairkqus Thompson, Timothy Neal, Hannah Tucker, Ethan Brown, Ana Loreto, Kyler Calhoun, and Jessica Andrew
FRANKFORT, KY (January 27, 2023) — Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) announced 14 telecommunicators, representing eight posts across the commonwealth, have graduated from the KSP Telecommunications Academy and are ready to begin answering the call for assistance to both citizens and law enforcement throughout the commonwealth.
“Congratulations to Class 21 on your accomplishments from the KSP Telecommunications Academy,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our telecommunicators are the heroes behind the headset that ensure our emergency services personnel are reaching citizens in need. We thank you for serving the commonwealth and creating a better Kentucky.”
The graduates of Class 21 received 160 hours of instruction over four weeks. Major training areas include legal liability, limits of telecommunicator authority, telecommunicator’s role in public safety, interpersonal communications, customer service, combating stress and PTSD, ethics and confidentiality, responder safety, basic fire dispatch, state emergency operation plans, criminal justice information systems, first aid training, emergency medical dispatch and special needs callers.
During the academy, graduates were required to successfully process scripted calls for service and demonstrate proficiency in obtaining pertinent information, dispatching responders, providing emergency medical dispatch if needed, and correctly documenting information from the call for assistance. The training concluded with a computer simulation system that simulates their work environment in the radio room.
“Telecommunicators from the sixteen state police posts provide a link and a lifeline for the public to the vital emergency services they may need,” says KSP Telecommunications Training Instructor Jason Long. “Telecommunicators are unseen, but often heard, first responders to any incident and can provide lifesaving information at a moment’s notice.
Class 21 graduates and their assigned posts are:
- Mairkqus Thompson, Post 1, Mayfield
- Sarah Gowen, Post 4, Elizabethtown
- Hannah Burgess, Post 9, Pikeville
- Cory Fields, Post 9, Pikeville
- Christy Ray, Post 9 Pikeville
- Ana Loreto, Post 12, Frankfort
- Timothy Neal, Post 12, Frankfort
- Elizabeth Smith, Post 12, Frankfort
- Hannah Tucker, Post 12, Frankfort
- Ethan Brown, Post 13, Hazard
- Kyler Calhoun, Post 13, Hazard
- Kayla Spearman, Post 14, Ashland
- Jessica Andrew, Post 15, Columbia
- Hunter Hedges, Post 16, Henderson
After each class, the ‘Charlotte Tanner Valedictorian’ Award is presented to the graduate who earned the highest-class GPA and demonstrated extraordinary effort during the KSP Telecommunications Academy. The award is named in honor of the founder of the KSP telecommunications program, Charlotte Tanner, who served the commonwealth for more than 50 years as a telecommunicator, radio room supervisor, and instructor.
This year’s Charlotte Tanner Valedictorian Award has been awarded to Jessica Andrew, with a grade point average of 96%.
To apply for a telecommunicator position with KSP, click here, or contact the KSP post nearest to you for more information. The starting salary for KSP telecommunicators ranges from $27,733 to $33,559 annually based on experience, plus a $3,100 training stipend after successful completion of the Telecommunications Academy. Additional benefits include paid holidays, paid vacation, paid sick leave and the opportunity to earn compensatory pay.
The requirements to become a KSP telecommunicator include:
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to multi-task
- Ability to handle extremely stressful and challenging conditions
- Handle flexible work schedules, including nights, weekends and holidays
- Ability to learn and adapt, especially in areas of technology
- Must be a High School Graduate
The mission of KSP is to promote public safety through service, integrity and professionalism using partnerships to prevent, reduce and deter crime and the fear of crime, enhance highway safety through education and enforcement, safeguard property and protect individual rights.
The number one priority for KSP is to create a better Kentucky by making the commonwealth’s streets safer, communities stronger and the nation more secure by providing exceptional law enforcement made up of a diverse workforce. For more information about career opportunities with KSP visit the website.
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