Law Enforcement Officers in Kentucky deserve more training hours than cosmetologist and kindergartners. We ask them to do so much, and put so much power in their hands. That amount of power and responsibility demands a well educated officer. And the public deserves to interact with well trained law enforcement officers. It is embarrassing when subjects citizens know more about the law than the law enforcement officers. If you see police interaction footage on YouTube, you know how common that is.
Kentucky State Police Officers have the legal power to take your time, money, property and your life. All they are required to do is 1000 hours of instruction. Local police and deputies are only required to have 800 hours of training (503 KAR 1:110).
But the State of Kentucky requires 1500 hours of training to be a Cosmetologist! You know, the very important people that keep our feminine birthing people looking great. It is an important job, but not nearly as important as a law enforcement officer. Why are beauticians and barbers required to have 500 more hours of instruction than is required to be a Kentucky State Police Officer and 700 more hours of instruction than a city cop or county sheriff deputy?
K-12 schools are required to have 1062 hours of instruction per year. So the Kentucky State Legislature mandates KINDERGARDENTERS to have more hours of education that STATE POLICE OFFICERS, COPS and SHERIFF DEPUTIES do in police academy.
According to the Kentucky State Police as of 2018 there were 2346 laws that they can cite or arrest you for. And there are SEVEN rights listed in the Kentucky Bill of Rights. With such a small number of rights, you might think that it would be easy for all officers to know them. But there is not even a course about rights offered at the "Department of Criminal Justice Training" facility. Look for yourself, here is their course schedule.
Kentucky State law requires that certain subjects are studied by law enforcement cadets. Civil Rights are not listed as a must study subject. Yes making sure that LEOs can spot elder abuse, domestic violence, learn about AIDS, human trafficking, and sexual assault is important, making sure that law enforcement officers understand the rights of the people that they are not allowed to violate is so much more important for the officers to know.
This is important because there are a lot of cases where Law Enforcement Officers are arresting people for breaking laws when the person is not. And sadly in The US Supreme Court case Heien v. North Carolina (574 U.S. 54) the caselaw was set, " that a police officer's reasonable mistake of law can provide the individualized suspicion required by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution to justify a traffic stop." Remember that
When a cadet graduates, they are given an oath and then known as a 'Sworn Law Enforcement Officer". What did they swear to? Below is the official Kentucky Law Enforcement Officers Oath:
It is my oath never to betray the badge that represents my community, my integrity, my character, and the public trust, I will have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will uphold the constitution and the community I serve.
So help me God.
By swearing that they will "uphold the constitution" they are swearing to uphold the civil rights contained in the constitution. Since it is not specified WHICH constitution they are swearing to uphold, I assume it is the Kentucky State Constitution. Which at the time of writing this post still contains rights of the people.
But their documents do not include the rights they swear to uphold. Almost every Law Enforcement Officer that patrols is provided with and references the 2022 Kentucky Legal Handbook for Patrol. This is the reference book that they look to for all the codes they write on tickets. It has 58 pages of possible violations of the law. But not one page included citizens rights.
It would be better for police and the public if they were taught a lot more about the law, and a lot less about marching in formation and making their bed. Law Enforcement Officers need so much more training. Law enforcement officers are more likely to take their own lives than to be feloniously murdered. This sad statistic could be improved with more education. With he current training and culture that results from the training, deep emotional problems are hidden behind "honor" and their uniforms.
I do not think all cops are bad. People are sick and tired of sworn officers breaking the law, and their oaths. This has resulted in the "Defund The Police" campaign that has swept the country. The results of which are terrible for the people and the police.
The system is bad, and it is failing cadets, sworn officers, and the public. It demands that the police cadets swear to "uphold the constitution" but does not TEACH them the US or Kentucky Constitution. The system does not hold them accountable the same way it holds citizens accountable. That makes a mockery of their oath, and being a sworn officer.
When Law Enforcement Officers are taught, nut just sworn to follow their oath of office, follow their Canon of Ethics, and follow the law they will EARN the respect they think they deserve.