Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
CJED PROGRAM GRADUATES 20 LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES

RICHMOND, Ky. – Law enforcement leaders from 19 agencies across Kentucky graduated today from the Criminal Justice Executive Development Program, an advanced leadership course for supervisors at the state’s small- and medium-size agencies.

The class’s 20 graduates include two chiefs and one assistant chief, as well as other high-ranking law enforcement executives.

The program’s goal is to provide supervisors with modern theories, management techniques and leadership skills that will enable them to perform more effectively and efficiently in their departments and ready them for future command positions.

CJED is a five-week program. Students attend courses one week each month for five months. To participate in the program, attendees must be supervisors who rank sergeant or above, apply for entrance into the program and be selected by a committee of CJED graduates from across the state.

The program focuses on leadership, identifying, analyzing and solving problems, as well as personnel administration, operations and fiscal management, and executive and environmental relationships.

During the graduation ceremony this morning, Maxwell Clay Bailey, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, discussed the importance of leadership training.

“You have to pay attention to leadership development,” he said. “Leadership must be learned. People are not born leaders.”

Bailey, a 32-year veteran of the U. S. Air Force, told the class that becoming a visionary is the best way to lead people.

“I believe you have to have a vision to give consistent leadership to the individuals you’re charged to lead,” Bailey said. “Vision is a lot different than goals and objectives – vision has to be a concrete thing that guides your unit on an everyday basis.”

Hopkinsville Police Department Sgt. John Thompson, class speaker for the ceremony, talked about how the information the class learned in their five weeks in the CJED program would prove useful throughout their careers.

“We’re raising our standards to ensure that our communities receive the best services possible,” he said.

Thompson also received the Commissioner’s Award for Academic Excellence with a grade point average of 95.0 percent on all class assignments, which was the highest average in the class.

CJED VII graduates and their agencies are:

Chief Shane Allison, Eddyville Police Department

Sgt. Penny Bowles, Bowling Green Police Department

Chief Danny Caudill, Harlan Police Department

Lt. B. J. Champagne, Campbell County Police Department

Capt. Michael Dowell, Western Kentucky University Police Department

Capt. Leland T. Estepp, Bellevue Police Department

Lt. James M. Gadzala, Fort Thomas Police Department

Lt. Brian Howard, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement

Lt. Greg Jenkins, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement

Sgt. Troy Pitcock, Louisville Metro Police Department

Lt. Robert Richardson, Frankfort Police Department

Capt. J. P. Roberts, Paducah Police Department

Sgt. George Schreiner, Alexandria Police Department

Lt. Mareka Scott, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport Police Department

Sgt. David A. Sexton, Morehead Police Department

Lt. Chris Taylor, Madisonville Police Department

Sgt. James L. Thomas, Harrodsburg Police Department

Sgt. John W. Thompson, Hopkinsville Police Department

Lt. Ronnie L. Wagoner, Georgetown Police Department

Lt. Col. James Wilson, Richmond Police Department

###