FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear signed a big investment into law on Tuesday. For state troopers, this means a big pay bump and additional tools.
State leaders are hoping this helps Kentucky State Police fill many of their openings.
With his signature, Gov. Beshear guaranteed state troopers a $15,000 dollar raise. The state says this raise is desperately needed because KSP currently ranks as the 74th lowest paying law enforcement group in the state, so they are struggling with staffing.
Troopers were retiring as soon as they could and others were leaving for better-paying police jobs.
"Our number of troopers was down to an amount that threatened public safety," said Gov. Beshear. "We were seeing far too many retirements. What this does today is put us in line and make us competitive with other law enforcement agencies out there."
The governor says this pay bump is the single biggest pay bump for state police since the group was first created.
It's not just pay that they're investing in. The state also funded extra money for additional police training and body cameras for state troopers. The governor says this is great for public accountability.
