Kentucky State Police hold first open house for potential recruits

As Kentucky State Police look for new recruits, the agency hosted an open house for interested parties to get a feel for different career opportunities.

The open house was Thursday at the Kentucky State Police training academy in Frankfort for people interested in a law enforcement career. There were several hands-on experiences in areas including firearm training simulation, canine, aircraft, bomb tech and special response team demonstrations.

"Law enforcement, in general, has seen a decline in applications overall," said Captain Michael Webb, Recruitment Commander. "The state police definitely have opportunities at every single one of our posts. We have staffing needs everywhere."

Police are currently accepting applications for the agency's next academy cadet class, which is set to begin May. Police say application materials must be submitted by Sept. 13.

Training at the academy in Frankfort lasts 25 weeks and includes more than 1,000 hours of classroom and field study. KSP hopes to have at least 100 recruits in the training program this year.