Starting this week, Kentucky State Police troopers are earning higher pay for their service. Governor Bevin and state lawmakers worked earlier this year to include salary increases in the budget. State Police Spokesman Michael Webb says this pay hike could help with recruitment efforts. “With this new pay raise, it is a new tool that has bolstered our efforts and abilities to recruit quality applicants who will be trustworthy and serve their communities in a professional manner,” said Webb.
Webb says the salary hike can also help with officer retention. “The fact that we’re able to keep those guys longer really does impact the safety of the Commonwealth because they know their communities, they know who is committing the crimes. They’re seasoned investigators and it really does impact public safety as a whole.”
The KSP currently maintains a force of 900 sworn officers with an authorization to employ more than one thousand. Prior to passage of the budget bill, KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders says veteran troopers were compensated the same as newly commissioned troopers. The new pay scale establishes specific pay rates for each rank based on years of service.?
