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A
I'd
like
to
call
this
meeting
number
two
of
the
veterans,
military
affairs
and
public
protection
committee
to
order
first,
we
will
have
the
roll
call.
A
And
when
you
answer
the
roll
call,
please
indicate
whether
you're
in
the
room,
whether
you're
in
the
annex
or
whether
you're
at
home,
in
your
district
and
when
you
join
the
meeting.
Your
microphones
should
be
automatically
muted
and
remember
to
unmute
them
when
you're
speaking
and
if
you
have
any
questions,
I'm
talking
to
the
people,
that's
online.
A
E
B
C
I
A
Okay,
I
think
representative
cook
is
watching
he's
trying
to
log
in.
A
Missed:
okay,
we
have
a
quorum
and
I'll
call
on
representative
makuu
for
the
pledge
of
allegiance.
A
A
A
I
I
She
is
an
advocate
for
the
honorary
member
flag
and
her
mother,
and
her
here
is
my
guest
today,
and
I
wanted
to
come,
wanted
her
to
come
when
she
could
come
to
vmap.
So.
B
Mr
chairman,
during
this
time
a
lot
of
times
we
honor
distinguished
vets
and
representative
pruntny,
and
I
we
decided
that
it
kind
of
thought
that
it
might
be
nice
to
honor
the
daughter
of
someone
who
fought
valiantly
for
our
cause.
So
at
this
time,
if
we
could
have
her
come
around
and
stand
up
front,
I'll,
walk
down
with
him
and
we'll
get
a
picture
and-
and
I
think
representative
parente
has
a
challenge
coin,
and
this
is
on
behalf
of
the
committee
that
we
are
given
to
you
for
your
your
father's.
B
Hi
everyone,
so
today,
I'm
here
with
miss
pony
I've,
always
thought
that
to
honor
military
families
and
help
veterans
that
I
would
have
to
do
something
in
health
care,
and
I
found
that
if
I
learned
more
about
politics
that
I
could
have
a
position
potentially
someday,
my
dad
did
a
tour
in
iraq
and
he
did
a
lot
with
ptsd.
B
So
I'm
really
passionate
about
helping
the
military
families
and
helping
veterans.
So
by
me
having
a
position
someday
and
educating
myself
and
making
sure
that
I
know.
What's
going
on,
my
family
received
a
voted
flag
and
some
would
argue
that
that
represents
the
fallen
heroes
and
what
they
did,
and
that
represents
their
family,
but
having
the
on
and
remember,
flag
is
truly
what
represents
honoring
and
remembering
the
families
and
the
way
that
the
flag
is
disrespected
today
in
america.
B
A
And
thank
you,
co-chairman,
thomas
and
representative
princi,
for
arranging
this
presentation.
It
was
our
honor
to
have
her
today.
Okay,
we
have
a
very
active
and
full
agenda,
so
I
will
have
to.
A
Move
along
pretty
rapidly,
I'm
looking
at
maybe
around
10
minutes
or
so
for
a
presentation,
five
minutes
or
questioning
I'll,
give
you
a
one
minute
warning
we're
honored
to
have
several
very
outstanding
groups
with
us
today.
Our
law
enforcement
officers
and
first
responders
are
very,
very
important
people
who
who
serve
us
and
who
risk
their
lives
that
we
may
have
safety
and
I'm
honored
to
have
them
here
with
us
today.
A
L
L
Excellent,
thank
you
throughout
the
covid
19
pandemic.
Our
ems
agencies
have
struggled
with
a
multitude
of
challenges:
sick
and
quarantined
personnel
resulting
in
increased
workforce
shortages,
periods
of
low
call
volume,
reduced
revenues,
the
cost
of
additional
medical
supplies,
shortages
and
or
price
gouging
of
essential
medical
supplies,
inadequate
reimbursement
to
mitigate
these
additional
costs
and
the
lack
of
federal
funding
to
support
ems
during
the.
L
L
In
april
2020
and
in
april
2021,
kentucky
providers
took
part
in
a
national
survey.
This
slide
shows
that
there
was
how
the
respondents
are
broken
down.
So
this
is
our
different
services
across
the
state,
34
percent
are
publicly
or
county
run,
28
percent
fire
based.
We
have
not
profit,
we
have
some
hospital
based
and
we
also
have
some
private
for-profit.
L
Last
april,
the
governor
gave
us
authority
to
make
emergency
changes
into
our
regulations.
One
of
these
changes
included
the
reinstatement
of
any
provider
that
has
ever
been
licensed
or
certified
by
k-beams
to
come
back
at
no
charge.
We
were
really
impressed
with
the
response
we
got.
We
reinstated
thousand
and
twelve
providers
to
help
take
advantage
of
this
process
and
help
with
the
pandemic
to
come
back
on
the
front
lines.
L
L
In
2021,
it's
starting
to
rebound
back
we're
actually
above
our
average
trends.
As
of
july
1st,
we
were
at
416
000
runs,
so
that
will
actually
make
it
over
800
000.
If
we
continue
the
trends
we
are
now
so
that's
higher
than
it
was
in
2019.
L
The
covet
19
public
health
emergency
continues
to
have
significant
financial
impact
on
ems
agencies
prior
to
the
pandemic.
Many
ems
agencies
across
the
commonwealth,
particularly
in
rural
areas,
struggle
with
finances,
low
reimbursement
from
cms
and
commercial
insurers,
frequently
below
the
cost
of
care
provided
and
the
lack
of
funding
to
support
ems
has
been
a
primary
contributing
factor.
L
In
april,
2020
ems
agencies
were
asked
if
they
had
applied
and
received
government
funding
to
address
the
additional
associated
cost
of
the
pandemic.
Over
50
percent
of
the
responding
agencies
reported
that
they
had
applied
for
federal,
state
or
local
grant
funding,
but
were
denied.
We
asked
the
same
question
in
april
of
2021.
L
L
67
percent
of
the
agencies
reported
they.
There
was
a
delay
in
offloading
patients
due
to
high
volume
in
emergency
departments.
So
basically,
what
that
was
the
hospital
emergency
departments
were
so
busy
that
it
took
a
while
to
get
the
patients
transferred
from
the
ambulance
stretcher
to
the
hospital
bed
stretcher,
something
that
we
did
find
was
an
increase
in
communication
with
stakeholder
engagement
with
ems
services,
talking
with
local
health
care
systems,
local
public
health
agencies
and
regional
coalitions.
So
we
did
have
an
improvement
in
communications,
that's
primarily
due
to
the
pandemic
itself.
L
So,
in
summary,
we
feel
that
much
of
the
ems
workforce
are
operating
with
high
levels
of
stress
fatigue
and
burnout.
Financial
challenges
continue
to
plague
ems
across
all
delivery
models.
Real
ms
is
in
a
crisis
it's
in
a
crisis
before
the
pandemic.
C
Thank
you,
mr
chair,
and
thank
you
for
presentation
this
morning
and
just
want
to
commend
you
and
all
the
frontline
healthcare
workers,
fantastic
job,
you've
done
during
this
colby
crisis,
and
I
don't
think
the
general
public
understands
or
appreciates
enough.
The
sacrifice
that
that
you
folks
have
ate,
and
I
appreciate
that,
and
certainly
when
it
comes
to
real
healthcare.
This
is
a
vital
component
of
it
and
I'm
obviously
concerned
about
the
continuity
of
services.
For
you
folks.
C
L
We
are,
and
we
currently
have
a
pilot
program
across
the
commonwealth
that
consists
of
a
program
called
community
paramedicine
and
that's
where
ems
providers
are
trained
in
more
of
a
preventative
type
of
treatment
and
we're
using
telemedicine
in
a
pilot
program
there
to
try
to
improve
the
health
care
across
the
commonwealth.
And
it's
so
far
the
numbers
are
proving
very
positive.
In
cost
savings.
C
That's
interesting,
but
you
know
usually
when
you
have
a
cost
savings,
that's
commensurate
with
their
revenue
reduction.
So
is
that
a
double-edged
sword
for
for
you
folks,.
L
It
is
right
now
because
we're
not
being
reimbursed.
You
know
this.
This
is
we're
trying
to
get
the
statistics
together
that
we
can
present
and
say
hey.
We
can
save
money,
but
it's
going
to
take
a
little
investment
to
do
that.
The
community
paramedic
program.
Basically
it's
a
non-emergent
program,
it's
for
chronic
health
care,
people
that
can't
be
transported
or
have
waves
of
transportation
to
the
hospital
or
doctor's
office
that
we
go
out
and
actually
make
visits
to
it's,
not
an
infringement
on
home
health
or
anything
like
that.
M
G
You
proceed.
We.
We
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
testify
before
you
today
about
the
effects
of
the
coveted
pandemic
on
the
fire
service.
I'm
going
to
mainly
address
the
effects
on
the
volunteer
fire
service
and
eric
will
talk
about
the
effects
on
on
paid
fire
service
and
fire
districts
when
a
firefighter
is
called
to
respond
to
a
structure
fire
or
an
active
shooter
situation.
G
That
is
an
extremely
stressful
situation
for
him
he's
under
a
tremendous
amount
of
pressure.
Fortunately,
those
runs
don't
happen
very
often
it's
not
like
you
see
on
television.
We
don't
go
to
a
big
fire
every
hour
or
every
day,
when
the
pandemic
hit
every
single
run
that
we
made
became
a
life-threatening
situation,
because
every
time
that
our
responders
went
on
a
run,
they
had
the
possibility
of
expo
being
exposed
to
someone
with
coveted
and
if
that
person
exposed
them
and
they
got
the
disease,
not
only
were
they
affected,
but
their
family
members
were
also
affected.
G
Many
volunteers
left
their
fire
department
because
of
the
the
situation
they
just
didn't
want
to
have
to
deal
with
it.
They
didn't
want
to
take
the
possibility
of
being
quarantined
and
having
to
lose
work
from
their
from
their
actual
job.
Some
fire,
some
firefighters,
left
the
department
altogether.
G
G
There
was
a
financial
cost
to
cover
to
the
fire
service,
and
when
you
talk
about
financial
costs,
people
usually
say
well,
yes,
you
had
to
buy
extra
p
extra,
ppe
and
yeah.
We
did
have
to
buy,
mask
and
gowns
and
gloves
and
sanitizer
and
those
things
are
expensive,
but
the
federal
government
and
the
state
agencies
and
a
lot
of
corporations
pitched
in
and
donated
a
lot
of
those
of
those
items
to
the
fire
service.
G
G
G
So
those
those
costs
are
very
expensive,
volunteer.
Fire
departments
operate
on
very
small
budgets,
most
less
than
a
hundred
thousand
dollars
a
year,
and
when,
when
you
have
to
buy
new
gear,
and
things
like
that
volunteer,
fire
departments
rely
extensively
on
fundraising.
In
order
to
do
that,
but
the
pandemic
stopped
fundraising.
G
We
couldn't
meet
with
the
public,
we
couldn't
hold
fish,
fries
or
festivals,
or
fill
the
boot
campaigns,
so
our
in
our
expenses
increased
our
membership
decreased
and
our
ability
to
raise
money
decreased,
which
created
a
major
problem
in
the
volunteer
fire
service.
The
result
of
it
all
was
that
we
lost
members.
Our
response
times
were
slowed
because
it
took
longer
to
get
enough
people
at
the
station
to
make
a
run.
G
G
G
We
were
at
the
mercy
of
the
local
and
the
state
government
agencies
to
decide
what,
if
any,
money
we
were
going
to
get
and
and
in
most
cases
or
in
many
cases
we
didn't
get
anything
near
what
we
needed
in
order
to
to
replace
the
the
gear
and
the
personnel
that
we
needed
to
replace.
G
So
we
feel,
like
the
the
federal
government,
the
state
government,
when
they're,
when
they're,
putting
out
these
relief
funds,
they
need
to
make
it
more
accessible
to
the
volunteer
fire
service.
G
The
other
thing
about
the
the
relief
money
was
that
the
paperwork
was
difficult
at
best
to
fill
out
and
a
lot
of
volunteer
fire
departments
don't
have
attorneys,
they
don't
have
people
who
are
adept
at
filling
that
type
of
thing
out
and
it
it
made
it
really
difficult,
and
you
know
people
fire
departments
tried
to
apply
for
the
funds
and
just
couldn't
get
through
the
paperwork.
So
that
was
the
impact
that
that
the
fire,
the
volunteer
fire
service,
had
eric's
going
to
talk
about
the
the
paid.
M
A
lot
of
the
same
things
happened
with
the
paid
departments,
along
with
the
volunteer
departments,
with
the
mental
stress
that
come
along
with
kovid
and
actually
responding
to
to
more
medical
incidents
of
that
that
risk
of
catching
it
taking
it
back
to
our
families.
Much
like
everybody
else
had
those
fears
and
a
lot
of
things
that
in
the
career
side,
was
that
we
had
to
pretty
much
stop
our
fire
prevention
and
public
education.
M
We
weren't
able
to
go
out
into
houses
most
career
fire
departments
have
a
smoke
detector
program.
Ours
is
through
the
red
cross
and
we
weren't
able
to
go
to
the
houses
and
actually
put
those
smoke
detectors
in
and
we
weren't
able
to
have
people
at
the
fire
station
like
we
typically
did
for
station
tours
or
such
for
public
education
of
showing
the
public.
What
the
the
fire
service
can
do.
So
that
was
pretty
much
all
stopped
for
the
whole
year
throughout
the
pandemic
and
then
our
training,
for
instance.
M
The
fire
commission
did
a
a
lot
of
online
trainings
we
transitioned
over
to
that,
but
but
that
lack
of
hands-on
training
when
you
hire
a
new
firefighter
and
you
can't
actually
get
them
the
hands-on
training
that
they
need
much
like
the
volunteers,
they
have
to
be
trained.
They
have
to
have
the
specific
gear
that
they
they
need
to
wear.
So
a
lot
of
the
same
things
happen
with
that
and
with
our
firefighter
associations,
the
kfa
as
a
state
organization,
we
oversee
several
regional
associations
and
those
regional
associations
were
also
limited
on
their
fundraising.
M
The
the
regional
associations
are
broke
out
throughout
the
state
throughout
the
commonwealth
and
they
help
the
volunteer
fire
departments
and
the
career
fire
departments,
just
like
the
the
kentucky
firefighters
association
does.
But,
but
just
like
john
was
saying,
with
the
the
limited
fundraising
for
the
volunteer
departments,
the
the
firefighter
associations
were
also
limited
in
their
fundraising,
also
in
order
to
help
the
the
fire
departments.
K
First,
I
would
like
to
say
thank
you,
mr
chair,
for
for
allowing
me
to
ask
any
questions.
First,
I'd
like
to
thank
you
for
the
sacrifice
you
make
and
and
all
of
our
volunteer
fire
departments
out
there.
I
have
a
couple
questions
here:
how
many
fire
departments
are
in
the
state
of
kentucky.
K
K
B
G
M
And
on
the
paid
side,
through
the
months
of
probably
april
to
june
of
last
year,
our
call
volume
went
down,
but
it
started
increasing
towards
the
end
of
the
year
and
this
year
it's
back
on
track
with
what
it
typically
is.
C
Thank
you,
ms
chairman.
Yes
thank
you
again
for
your
presentation
and
you're,
probably
going
to
sound
redundant
for
this
day's
over,
but
thank
you
for
your
sacrifice.
It
has
been
incredible.
You
know.
We've
had
a
lot
of
discussion
about
essential
personnel
in
this
last
couple
years
and
I
think
there
are
to
be
a
couple
of
different
categories
and
you
guys
certainly
would
fall
under
the
super
super
essential.
C
One
appreciate
what
you're
doing
and
a
question
I
have
is
for
for
john,
even
before
the
pandemic,
the
ability
to
recruit
and
retain
volunteer
firefighters
was
quite
a
challenge.
I
noticed
from
all
my
volunteer
fire
departments.
C
G
Yeah,
recruitment
and
retention
is
very
difficult
on
my
particular
department,
we're
pretty
lucky
we're
a
volunteer
department,
that's
completely
surrounded
by
paid
departments,
and
so
people
from
all
those
cities
that
have
paid
departments
come
join
our
department.
But
we
get
typically
about
20
new
members
per
year
and
about
two
of
those
members.
Last
more
than
a
year
and
most
of
the
members
that
stick,
we
we
train
them,
we
get
them
state
certified
and
then
they
go
get
hired
by
one
of
those
paid
fire
departments.
G
So
retention
is
a
big
problem.
Recruitment
is
difficult.
People
are
busier
today
than
they
were
when
I
started
in
the
fire
service
in
the
1970s.
So
it's
it's
harder
to
get
someone
to
join.
G
When
I
joined
the
department
you
needed
about
six
hours
of
training
and
they
were
letting
you
make
fire
calls
today
in
order
to
make
a
fire
call.
You
need
20
hours
in
specific
subjects
in
order
to
be
state
certified.
You
need
150
hours
as
a
volunteer
400
hours
as
a
paid
firefighter
to
be
state
certified
and
a
lot
of
young
people
just
don't
want
to
go
through
the
time
it
takes.
They.
G
You
know
when
a
guy
comes
up
in
his
in
his
coat
and
his
helmet.
He
kind
of
looks
like
hey.
That's
that's
the
guy
from
down
the
street.
Maybe
I
can
do
what
he
does,
but
it
has
been
difficult.
The
solution,
I
guess
more,
funding
to
help
it
help
help
volunteer
fire
departments,
have
money
to
recruit,
to
make
to
make
recruitment
videos
and
to
hold
what
you
would
call.
G
I
guess,
tryouts
for
people
that
would
help
less
less
of
a
burden
on
the
on
the
volunteers
to
have
to
dedicate
as
many
hours
as
they
do.
In
order
to
stay
certified
would
help,
but
I
mean
it's:
it's
a
situation
that
it's
difficult
and
it
gets
more
difficult,
probably
every
year
does
that
answer
your
question.
C
Yes,
it
does,
and
I
appreciate
the
challenge
and
truly
do,
and
I
think,
there's
going
to
have
to
be
an
ongoing
discussion
amongst
us,
but
I
hear
your
message
and
but
again
I
want
to
thank
you
for
your
commitment
to
your
communities
and
into
your
profession.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
chair.
I
Thank
you.
I
want
to
also
begin
by
thanking
you
for
your
service.
Both
professional
and
volunteer.
Firefighters
are
very
important,
especially
in
my
area.
I
think
we
have
two
paid
fire
departments
in
our
district
and
over
15
volunteer
fire
departments,
which
we
consider
essential
to
our
to
the
safety
of
our
community.
I
G
G
G
B
I
was
aware
of
representative
tackett
lafferty's
legislation
and
I
was
going
to
mention
that
she
had
mentioned
that.
I
think
you
know
in
the
midst
of
any
time
you
talk
about
volunteer
firefighters
and
recruitment.
There's
just
not
very
many
carrots
out
there
for
to
induce
the
the
volunteerism,
and
I
think
it
would
be
very
worthwhile
for
us
to
continue
to
look
at
that
and
to
push
for
that
idea
to
reward
them
for
their
service
to
their
community.
So
I
would
support
that
if
it
made
it
over
to
the
senate.
E
E
You
know
in
my
past
life
as
a
professional
firefighter
and
I
still
volunteer
some
with
my
local
fire
department,
one
of
the
biggest
issues
that
they
are
facing
and
for
multitude
of
reasons
not
only
the
pandemic
is
the
funding
issue
and
he
touched
they
touched
on
it
when
they
talked
about
the
personal
protective
equipment.
That's
one
of
the
bigger
expenses
that
a
volunteer
fire
department
has
because
each
firefighter
has
got
to
be
specifically
outfitted
for
that.
So
I
I
want
to
encourage.
E
E
I
want
to
give
a
a
big
encouragement
to
see
if
we
can
find
some
more
funding,
especially
for
our
volunteer
departments,
to
where
we
might
be
able
to
create
a
grant
process
or
something
where
we
can
help
not
only
fund
some
recruitment
efforts,
but
definitely
help
fund
the
personal
protective
equipment,
because,
without
that
they
can't
even
do
the
job
they're
willing
to
volunteer
to
do
so.
I
just
wanted
to
kind
of
give
a
shout
out
for
that.
H
Thank
you,
mr
chairman,
gentlemen,
thank
you
for
your
service
and
thank
you
for
your
presentation
here
today
for
those
members
who
may
not
be
aware,
especially
in
the
volunteer
fire
departments,
been
a
retired
trooper
many
times
in
the
middle
of
the
night
working
an
accident
in
rural
kentucky.
H
It
takes
a
servant's
heart
and
I
begin
to
wonder
if
we're
losing
some
of
that
servant
servitude
from
our
population
as
a
whole,
but
this
is
the
question
I
have
for
you,
gentlemen,
for
volunteer
fire
departments.
It's
my
understanding
and
I
worked
with
former
representative
rob
rothenberger.
You
all
may
be
familiar
with
him
and
we
talk
about
recruitment
and
one
of
the
the
regulations
that
the
volunteer
fire
department
and
I'm,
if
I
recall
right,
correct
me
if
I'm
wrong,
but
this
is
through
the
fire
association.
H
Maybe
regs
is
that
they
can't
take
on
a
member
and
certified
member.
That's
a
convicted,
felon
and-
and
I
understand
the
the
reasoning
behind
that,
but
I'm
also
a
believer
in
second
chances.
Every
felony
is
different
and
some
people
actually
do
reform.
H
I
know
I
have
a
guy
in
my
district
that
did
his
time.
It's
been
several
years
ago,
since
that
passed,
he's
very
active
in
his
community.
H
G
Yeah,
I
believe
that
is
a
state
regulation
that
that
forbids
the
convicted
felons
from
being
members.
So
it's
it's
not
something
we
can
control.
I
don't
think
we
would
be
opposed
to
that
and
in
response
to
the
highway
that
that
is
probably
the
second
scariest
run
that
we
make
next
to
a
structure.
Fire
is
being
out
there
on
the
highway,
with
people
driving
by
and
paying
little
or
no
attention
to
you.
H
A
A
And
I'd
like
to
say
how
much
we
appreciate
the
security
the
state
police
gives
us
here
at
the
annex
and
in
the
capitol
they
do
an
outstanding
job.
We
appreciate
it
very
much.
Okay,
identify
yourself
for
the
record
and
proceed
with
your
presentation,
commissioner.
J
J
This
will
allow
me
the
opportunity
to
publicly
acknowledge
how
extremely
proud
I
am
of
the
men
and
women
of
our
agency,
who
provided
essential
services
to
the
commonwealth
during
the
coveted
night
team,
as
well
as
our
leaders
and
our
legislative
legislators
for
knowing
exactly
you
know
what
all
your
state
police
has
done
to
be
a
steward
of
the
tax
dollars
there
are.
There
are
relentless
efforts.
J
J
J
Despite
the
backlogs
from
the
initial
days
of
covet,
they
continue
to
work
tirelessly
to
assist
those
in
need
of
a
license,
or
even
our
maintenance
personnel
who
villainously
worked
to
keep
our
ksp
office
spaces
sanitized.
So
such
duties
could
be
performed
as
safely
as
possible.
All
of
these
duties
and
functions
during
the
worst
pandemic
of
our
lifetimes.
J
J
J
Troopers
and
officers
monitor
these
locations
for
property
damage
and
unusual
activities.
We
provided
extra
patrols
to
grocery
and
home
improvement
stores
and
other
box
top
stores
throughout
the
state
that
were
deemed
essential
businesses
to
monitor
for
traffic
and
crowds.
Due
to
potential
stress
of
obtaining
such
items
from
these
establishments,
we
utilized
our
16
posts
across
our
state
as
a
personal
protection
equipment
drop-off
site.
J
This
result
of
the
huge
outpouring
of
citizens
of
kentucky
wanting
support
to
provide
ppe
to
essential
workers
from
there,
our
troopers
from
those
16
locations
transported
them
to
frankfort
to
a
central
repository
from
there.
They
were
packaged
and
redistributed
out
across
the
state
for
essential
workers.
J
J
J
The
fact
that
we
are
operating
at
over
25
percent
reduction
in
sworn
troopers
to
do
whatever
thing
we
did
and
are
doing
right
now
is
is
a
credit
to
men
and
women
of
the
state
police.
J
The
key
to
that
is
significant.
Pay
raises
to
be
competitive
with
other
agencies
throughout
kentucky.
That's
our
agency's
primary
focus
and
I
as
well
as
our
executive
command
staff,
will
put
every
effort
into
doing
so.
I
want
to
thank
each
of
you
today
for
allowing
me
to
recognize
our
agency
personnel
for
their
unwavering
efforts
during
covet
19..
J
A
That
25
shortage,
what
does
that
translate
in
number?
Is
it
a
couple
hundred
or
what
is
it.
J
J
But
the
thing
that
is
really
discouraging
is
the
fact
that
we're
averaging
about
5.8
resignations
a
month
since
january,
the
first
of
this
year.
A
Your
point
on
salary
is
well
taken,
I'm
aware
of
how
we
average,
with
the
other
state
troopers
nationwide
and
we're
toward
the
bottom.
So,
yes,.
L
N
Commissioner,
thank
you
for
being
here
today
and
thank
you
welcome.
I
guess
someone
had
a
crystal
ball
way
back
when
they
give
the
kentucky
state
police
the
took
on
the
slogan
the
thin
gray
line.
N
Your
numbers
are
certainly
certainly
there
and,
but
I
I
do
want
to
to
commend
you
on
your
your
professionalism
and
dedication
of
your
of
your
officers.
I
think
that
is
great
gain
them
great
respect
throughout
the
state
and
here
at
the
general
assembly.
N
I
want
to
thank
you
for
that.
Of
course,
we
understand
that
you
know
salaries
and,
and
and
being
you
know,
the
being
short
of
numbers
is
is
a
is
a
major
problem.
N
I
want
to
float
an
idea
that
I
floated
yesterday
and
I've
been
talking
to
some
folks
about
you
know
we
have
a
a
historic
2
billion
dollar
surplus
in
our
budget
surplus
account
and
there's
a
lot
of
people
already
making
plans
out
of
excuse
me
I'd
spend
that
two
billion
dollars,
in
fact
I
heard
the
governor
the
other
day,
had
some
priorities
that
he'd
like
to
see
what
I'd
like
to
see.
The
unfunded
liability
for
the
state
police
retirement
fund
is
a
few
dollars
short
of
700
million
dollars.
N
I'd
love
to
see
the
general
assembly
pay
off
out
of
this
2
billion
surplus
pay
off
the
the
unfunded
liability
for
the
state
police
retirement
fund,
where
the
state
police
could
get
back
to
just
paying
normal
costs
and
that
additional
dollars
that
are
in
your
budget
for
not
paying
140
percent
match.
I
think
it's
140
match
on
retirement
could
be
used
for
to
get
our
numbers
back
up
and
for
additional
pay
raises.
So
I
don't
know
if
that'll
stick.
N
My
my
reasoning
is
kind
of
the
dave
ramsey
approach.
If
you
ever
listen
to
dave,
ramsey
he'll
say
pay
off
the
smallest
debts.
First,
when
we
look
at
pensions,
the
state
police
pension
liability
is
the
smallest
one,
and
700
million
seem
to
be
completely
out
of
reach
in
a
normal
budget
year,
but
it's
certainly
not
next
year,
with
2
billion
sitting
in
in
in
surplus,
so
hopefully
that'll
catch
on,
and
we
could
do
that.
N
So
the
ksp
you're
so
important
to
this
commonwealth,
the
the
citizens
of
the
commonwealth
and
those
who
would
pass
through
the
commonwealth
and
we
need
to
get
you
back
to
full
full
force
and-
and
we
need
to
help
you
like
you,
said-
to
retain
and
recruit
quality
individuals
to
serve.
So
that's
just
my
comment,
my
two
cents
worth
and
again.
Thank
you
for
the
work
you
do
and
your
dedication
appreciate
it.
H
I
think
mr
chairman
comment
and
then
a
question
at
the
end.
H
Commissioner,
thank
you
for
being
here
very
proud,
always
to
see
that
gray,
uniform
sitting
here
at
the
table
presenting
to
us,
and
I
have
a
better
understanding
than
anyone
sitting
here,
what
you're
going
through
right
now,
I
remember
0809
when
things
hit
and
our
budget
began
to
get
cut
and
cut
and
cut,
and
commissioner
can't
say
it,
but
I
I
can
I
remember
the
days
when
we
literally
was
anxious
during
the
winter
months
when
the
general
assembly
would
meet
as
to
what
kind
of
funding
or
what
we
might
get
and
to
say
the
least
when
it
was
over.
H
We
were
generally
disappointed.
I
I'm
gonna,
be
very
frank.
We
always
had
an
adage.
We
do
more
with
less.
That
was
what
was
always
expected
of
us
at
ksp,
but
folks
they
can't
do
anymore.
They
they
we
have
cut
them
to
the
bone.
Do
you
realize
that
our
troopers
in
kentucky
their
salaries,
are
ranked
75th,
not
in
the
nation,
but
in
kentucky
amongst
law
enforcement?
H
That
does
not
include
federal
law
enforcement,
I'm
talking
about
between
city,
state
and
county
departments.
They're
75th,
they
should
be
in
the
top
five
commissioners
talking
about
the
5.8
a
month
resignations.
I
would
almost
be
willing
to
bet
the
farm
that
those
are
people
resigning
and
going
to
other
agencies.
That's
paying
them
more
money.
H
H
You
heard
the
list
of
the
things
the
commissioner
said:
they've
done
people,
especially
in
the
rural
areas
of
kentucky.
They
depend
on
these
guys
and
gals
to
be
there,
no
matter
what
they're
not
worried
about
budgets,
they're,
not
worried
about
all
these
other
things.
During
kobe,
they
didn't
care,
they
knew
when
they
picked
up
the
phone
and
they
called
they
expected
the
trooper
to
be
there,
and
you
know
what
they
were.
H
They
were
and
we,
as
the
general
assembly
have
to
get
behind
them.
I
I
agree
with
senator
higdon.
We
got
to
hit
this
unfunded
liability
been
doing
some
figuring
right
now
for
us
to
give
a
thousand
dollars
per
trooper
pay
raise.
It's
gonna
cost
us
over
two
thousand
dollars
because
of
this
unfunded
liability.
We've
got
to
get
that
paid
down,
but
we've
got
to
get
that
salary
down
into
that
top
five
percent
range.
In
order
for
us
to
retain
these
troopers
when
we
get
them.
H
Well,
the
fact
of
the
matter
is,
and
these
people
that
has
the
ideology
of
defund
the
police
you're,
not
thinking,
clearly,
the
reason
they
use
that
that
argument
of
defunding
the
police
is
because
of
a
few
bad
actors,
and
I
can
tell
you
nobody
hates
a
bad
police
officer
more
than
a
good
one.
They
despise
them.
They
don't
want
them
in
the
ranks.
H
But
if
we
continue
down
this
slippery
slope
of
no
longer
properly
funding
them
properly,
paying
them,
what
we're
going
to
have
to
do
as
an
agency
as
a
profession
is
we're
going
to
lower
our
standards.
H
Had
we
properly
taken
care
of
these
people,
we're
headed
down
a
slippery
slope,
don't
blame
them
they're
doing
everything
they
can
don't
blame
the
the
the
profession
blame
the
ones,
that's
not
making
sure
they
get
the
tools
they
need
to
do
the
jobs
they
need
to
do
and
make
sure
they
get
the
best
people
to
do
it,
and
so
I'll
get
off.
My
my
soapbox
on
that.
I
do
have
a
question
for
you,
commissioner.
During
this
time,
we've
had
a
lot
of
shutdowns.
H
A
D
Thank
you,
mr
chairman
and
commissioner.
I
I
appreciate
you
being
here
today
and
I
respect
everything
that
you
do
and
as
a
retired
special
agent.
I
cannot
agree
anymore
with
representative
blanton's
assessment
of
what's
going
on,
one
bad
actor
can
wipe
out
a
whole
lot
of
goodwill
that
we've
all
done
in
our
careers.
J
D
D
Okay,
well,
that's
still
takes
you
down
to
close
to
50
strength.
L
D
Do
you
have
any
plans
on?
Let
me
back
up
what
is
the
recruitment
status
of
new
troopers.
J
Right
now
we
plan
to
run
a
class
in
october
and
we
can
start
that
with
around
90.
as
of
right
now,
we're
still
having
background
investigations
come
in,
but
we
have
the
possibility
to
be
able
to
draw
from
110
applicants,
so
we
have
a
higher
attrition
rate,
sometimes
30
percent
35
percent.
So
we
would
hope
if
we
have
people
that
would
drop
out
of
the
curriculum
on
the
first
week
that
we
could
backfill,
but
typically
the
past
few
classes
we've
graduated
has
been
in
the
40s.
J
D
D
So
you're
going
to
be
getting
less
than
the
full
size
academy.
J
J
J
D
Okay
again,
thank
you,
commissioner,
for
being
here.
C
Thank
you,
mr
chair,
and
the
question
business
to
comment.
I
want
to
thank
senator
higdon
for
his
suggestion
about
the
paying
off
the
pension.
That
makes
sense,
but
you
know,
unfortunately,
that's
not
going
to
solve
our
problem.
That
just
buys
us
a
little
bit
of
time,
and
I
know
all
of
you
have
been
attending
numerous
committee
meetings
since
they're
almost
started,
and
then
we
have
a
central
theme
here.
C
Everybody
needs
more
money
and
it's
it's
truly.
A
crisis
situation
we're
blessed
that
we
have
as
much
care
as
money
coming
in
as
we
do.
But
again,
that's
just
going
to
buy
its
time,
not
going
to
fix
the
problem,
and
we
all
know
the
problem,
it's
that
we
don't
have
enough
tax
revenue
and
I'm
not
advocating
for
raising
tax
rates
on
people.
But
we
have
to
recognize
that
50
of
the
income
in
this
state
is
not
taxed.
C
C
Now
from
political
standpoint,
we
know
we're
not
going
to
repeal
those
tax
exemptions,
it's
just
not
going
to
happen.
We've
got
to
look
at
a
different
model
and
we've
talked
about
it
before
I
came
in
2017
and
I
did
was
first
approach
about
a
consumption
best
tax
like
tennessee
and
indiana
have
done.
C
We've
got
to
quit
talking
about
it
and
we
have
to
do
it
because,
if
not
we're
going
to
be
at
a
tsunami
position
with
all
of
our
agencies
throughout
the
state
and
we
need
to
quit
kicking
this
can
down
the
road.
That's
the
only
solution
to
our
revenue
problem
and
it's
the
only
fair
solution
to
the
problem,
because
everyone
should
have
to
pay
their
fair
share
of
taxes,
and
it
doesn't
happen
in
the
state
again
it
can't
with
50
of
our
income
being
exempted.
C
So
I
know
that
revenue
measures
have
to
start
in
the
house
and
I
guess
I'm
throwing
out
a
challenge
to
our
house.
Members
is
please
this
next
session.
Take
a
serious
look
at
this
and
let's
try
to
move
this
forward,
otherwise
we're
going
to
have
those
conversations
every
year
and
unfortunately,
it's
going
to
get
worse
every
year.
So
thank
you,
mr
chair.
N
Commissioner,
I'm
back
and
wanted
to
talk
to
you
about
drivers,
training,
our
driver's
license
testing
and
as
we
transitioned
into
those
regional
models,
and
I,
if,
if
legislators
haven't
been
getting
those
calls
they
they
will
and
and
how
is
that
how's
that
transition
going?
Could
you
give
us
an
update.
J
We
we
currently
have
eight.
I
think
it's
eight
that
we're
staffing
on
the
regional,
we're
still
working
with
transportation.
My
understanding
won't
open
up
to
30
some
sites.
That
will
be
a
challenge
for
us
to
hire
driver's
license
examiners,
but
we
are
working
with
them
on
timelines
to
do
that,
the
areas
that
we
have
transitioned
to
the
regional
sites
that
that
is
really
taking
off
you
know,
they've
been
some
growing
pains.
We've
had
some
on
on
the
scheduling.
N
Well.
Thank
you,
commissioner.
I
applaud
you
on
your
website.
It
seems
to
that
going
on
and
scheduling
testing
you're
testing
on
online.
That,
like
I
said
that
I've
looked
at
the
program
several
times
and
it
looks
like
it's
very
user
friendly.
A
Now,
I'd
like
to
call
on
the
representatives
of
the
kentucky
association
of
chiefs
of
police
come
forward,
identify
yourself
for
the
record
and
then
proceed
with
your
presentation.
F
D
F
Let
me
first
start
with
remarks
on
covet,
like
with
other
individuals,
organizations
and
professions.
The
coveted
pandemic
had
a
tremendous
impact
on
law
enforcement
and,
frankly,
we
still
have
concerns,
while
our
officers
have
continued
to
be
out
on
the
streets
doing
their
jobs.
Our
offices
remain
closed
to
the
public
and,
like
others,
we
are
concerned
about
the
number
of
cases
that
are
rising
in
parts
of
the
country
and
in
the
commonwealth
due
to
the
delta
variant
of
covet.
F
F
I
must
point
out
that
some
of
the
ppe
we
received
from
what
I
assume
were
state
stock
plows
were
very
poorly
quality
and
with
some
materials,
dry,
rotted
and
unusual.
Now
we
do
understand
in
the
state's
defense.
No
one
was
fully
prepared
for
the
pandemic,
but
we
hope
that
this
becomes
a
learning
moment
and
that
attempts
are
made
in
the
future
to
stockpile
ppe
in
the
event
of
a
spike
of
cases
in
the
current
pandemic
or
future
virus
outbreaks.
F
As
I
mentioned
in
my
remarks
about
covid
crisis,
we
put
our
heads
down
and
do
the
jobs
we're
hired
to
do,
but
times
have
changed,
particularly
on
the
national
level.
The
murder
of
george
floyd
increased
the
scrutiny
of
law
enforcement.
No
one
deserves
to
die
like
that
in
the
street,
especially
at
the
hands
of
police
officers.
F
F
Calls
to
defend
the
police
are
as
outraged
are
as
outrageous
as
they
are
ridiculous.
If
anything,
we
need
more
funding
for
training,
salaries,
benefits
and
resources
in
this
state,
not
less.
We
also
firmly
believe
that
social
justice
debate
is
largely
a
national
debate,
often
co-opted
by
those
with
an
agenda
to
unfairly
demagogue
and
attack
police.
F
F
For
the
most
part,
they
understand
that
law
enforcement
officers
have
a
job
to
do
and
they
respect
the
officers
they
know
and
interact
with.
Yet
we
also
know
that
in
some
ways,
law
enforcement
must
reinvent
itself
to
win
back
more
support
from
the
public.
There
are
negative
perceptions
to
overcome,
and
even
in
kentucky
there
are
bad
cops
that
should
and
must
be
weeded
out
of
our
departments
and
our
communities.
F
Such
acts
include
unjustified
use
of
excessive
or
deadly
force,
and
engaging
in
a
sexual
relationship
with
a
victim
senate
bill
80
established
a
system
for
an
officer's
automatic
decertification
under
certain
circumstances,
including
being
convicted
of
a
felony
in
federal
or
state
courts,
or
the
concealment
of
such
condition.
During
the
certification
process,
an
officer
could
also
be
considered
for
decertification
after
being
convicted
of
certain
misdemeanors,
including
dishonesty
fraud,
deceit,
misrepresentation,
physical
violence,
sexual
abuse
or
crimes
against
a
minor
or
or
household.
Member
again,
we
thank
the
lawmakers
who
supported
the
bill
senate
bill.
F
80
holds
police
officers
accountable
and
provides
a
way
to
hold
ourselves
accountable.
If
that
is
not
social
justice,
I
don't
know
what
is
we
know.
Social
justice
also
involves
caring
for
and
dealing
with,
those
that
are
homeless
and
suffering
from
mental
illness.
These
unfortunate
members
of
our
society
require
professional
and
clinical
help
that
police
officers
simply
can't
provide
yet
as
part
of
our
jobs,
we
spend
an
inordinate
amount
of
time
dealing
with
these
folks,
particularly
when
they
are
having
mental
illness
episodes,
and
we
are
called
to
make
sure
they
do
not
harm
themselves
or
others.
F
We
will
continue
to
do
our
jobs
in
dealing
with
the
homeless
and
mentally
ill.
We
just
need
some
help
and
resources
from
the
general
assembly
and
finally,
regarding
social
media,
we
must
go
about
our
jobs
and
not
worry
about.
What's
posted
on
facebook,
twitter
or
other
platforms,
we
know
everyone
has
a
phone
and
a
camera
these
days
and
even
most
routine
interactions
with
the
public
end
up
on
video.
That's
just
the
world
we
live
in
and
it
will
continue
to
be
caught.
F
You
can
feel
my
officers
all
you
want.
We
have
nothing
to
hide.
We
go
about
our
jobs
professionally.
If
someone
is
out
of
line
or
acts
unlawfully
or
badly
to
someone,
we
will
have
it
on
tape
and
can
deal
with
it
accordingly.
Trust
me,
we
are
more
concerned
about
someone
who
has
a
weapon,
then
a
phone.
F
H
Thank
you,
mr
chairman
chief,
mr
crowley.
Thank
you
for
being
here
today
same
question
to
you,
chief,
did
you
see
an
increase
in
domestic
violence
during
this
shutdown
period?
Yes,.
F
F
Those
those
cases
had
a
particular
interest
throughout
you
know
not
only
my
area,
but
in
the
commonwealth
because
of
the
lack
of
ability
to
get
into
schools
and
activities
around
other
adults
is.
A
D
D
D
A
I
Thank
you.
My
question
actually
stems
from
my
oldest
son,
has
chosen
a
pathway
of
law
enforcement,
so
I've
been
looking
into
the
education
and
training
involved
with
our
law
enforcement
agencies,
and
I
noticed
that
that
recruitment
has
been
difficult
recently
and
I
have
been.
I
I
Okay,
so
so
we
don't
accept
anyone
right
out
of
high
school
who's,
just
wanting
to
or
right
out
of
college
something
to
that
effect,
who's
wanting
to
go
into
law
enforcement.
I
Okay,
and
is
that
something
that
you
think
would
affect,
as
as
representative
blanton
said,
you'd
really,
you
know
you
don't
want
to
lower
your
standards
at
all.
Do
you
think
that
that
that
type
of
standard
do
you
think
that's
essential
in
making
sure
we
get
quality
officers,
or
do
you
think
that's
something
that
that
that
the
agencies
may
be
open
to
to
exploring.
F
I
I
think
that
the
education
process
is
very
important
to
understand
what
you're
getting
into
in
law
enforcement.
I
still
think
you
need
to
go
through
an
agency
be
vetted
properly
through
both
krs
and
administrative
regulations
that
are
set
forth
by
the
kentucky
law
enforcement
council
and
getting
a
certified
police
officer.
So
the
way
the
way
it's
set
up
now,
I
think
it's
to
get
the
best
of
the
best.
H
H
They
train
most
all
law
enforcement
in
kentucky,
with
the
exception
of
ksp,
although
ksp
does
do
some
aspects
of
their
training
in
conjunction
with
dlcjt,
along
with
louisville
lexington,
and
now
I
think,
bowling
green.
So
he
could
come
straight
out
of
college
and
go
to
ksp,
but
if
he
goes
to
other
agencies,
he
has
to
be
hired
by
that
agency
to
get
into
doc
jt
the
way
the
system
is
set
up.
H
So
if
that
clarifies
your
question,
because
all
the
others
require
a
sponsorship,
if
you
want
to
call
it
being
hired
by
the
agency
to
get
into
dlcjt,
so
I'm
hoping
that's
clarifying
your
question:
okay,
that'll
work.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
L
A
Yeah
I'd
like
to
call
on
our
final
group
the
kentucky,
fraternal
order
of
police,
and
I
look
forward
to
this
one.
I'm
a
former
fop
member
myself.
A
O
Chairman
co-chairman
members
of
the
committee,
thank
you
again
for
another
opportunity
to
come
and
testify
and
on
behalf
of
the
10
800
members
of
the
fraternal
order
of
police
and
our
entire
executive
board.
We
do
thank
you
again
for
this
opportunity.
We
don't
take
that
for
granted.
My
name
is
ryan
straw.
I'm
the
governmental
affairs
director
for
the
state
fop,
I'm
also
our
elected
chaplain,
and
I'm
a
17-year
law
enforcement
professional.
O
I
prepared
a
short
presentation
both
on
covet
and
social
justice,
and
I
will
start
with
I'll
start
with
the
covet
piece.
First,
our
national
fop
has
really
gotten
up
front
quickly
of
it.
Last
year
when
kovitt
covet
came
to
light,
and
it
was
a
big
assist
for
our
state
and
for
our
local
lodges,
we
really
utilized
them.
O
The
establishment
of
fop,
coveted
19.org
was
kind
of
our
basis
for
everything
that
we
pushed
out
to
local
lodges
that
we
shared
with
our
communities.
It
was
a
one-stop
shop
for
what
other
states
were
doing
what
our
state
was
doing.
It
was
constantly
updated,
with
numbers
specific
to
law
enforcement
and
also
specific
to
the
communities
as
well.
O
We
took
into
account
officers
who
continued
to
serve
in
dangerous
conditions,
not
just
because
of
covid,
but
also
their
families,
when
we
were
pushing
this
information
out,
like
all
the
heroes
who
served
in
hospitals
and
facilities
to
the
folks
that
were
working
in
restaurants
and
ensuring
that
we
all
had
some
of
the
creature
comforts.
We
looked
for.
O
Law
enforcement
officers
were
still
on
the
front
lines
as
well
as
keeping
our
communities
safe,
but
sacrificing
their
own
time
and
health
of
their
families
coming
home
and
taking
your
uniform
off.
Locking
your
gun
belt
away,
facetiming
your
spouse
or
kids
to
tell
them
good
night
and
then
going
and
laying
in
a
cot
or
separate
bedroom
away
from
everybody
else,
was
reality
for
our
members
and
all
law
enforcement
in
the
country.
O
I
think
if
you
look
at
the
numbers
clearly,
kovitt
has
not
spared
law
enforcement
at
all.
As
of
this
yesterday,
we
had
507
law
enforcement
deaths
attributed
to
coven
19,
considered
line
of
duty
in
our
state
alone.
We
had
six,
that's
six
more
too
many,
and
if
you
look
at
the
officer
down
memorial
page
and
if
you've
never
been
on
there,
I
encourage
you
to
do
it.
It's
odmp.org.
O
It
lists
two
of
those
officers
from
our
state
on
november
19th,
2020
officer,
martez,
hughes
of
the
louisville
metro
police
department
and
on
december
26th
of
2020
special
deputy
sheriff
lee
daniel
mann
of
the
brethren
county
sheriff's
office,
passed
away
because
of
covet.
I
serve
as
a
local
president
of
the
louisville
metropolitan
fop
lodge
number
32,
and
I
will
join
the
other
seven
presidents
in
jefferson
county
later
this
year,
as
we
place
officer
hughes
name
on
our
memorial.
O
All
this
is
a
sad
reality
and
the
danger
that
law
enforcement
still
continue
to
face
today,
even
as
covid
goes
up
and
down
the
national
fop
pushed
out
a
public
campaign,
as
you
can
see,
to
show
the
importance
of
becoming
vaccinated,
especially
for
officers
currently
working
during
the
height
of
covid.
The
national
state
fop
asks
people
to
do
their
part
by
staying
home
and
to
help
officers
continue
to
protect
those
that
are
most
vulnerable.
O
O
I
think
it
should
be
noted
that
these
campaigns
are
important,
not
just
providing
resources
and
information
to
our
membership,
but
also
to
the
communities
that
we
serve.
It's
a
great
support
for
law
enforcement
across
the
commonwealth
and
letting
people
know
that
we
are
taking
care
of
them
and
ourselves
continues
that
community
building
that,
I
think
we're
always
looking
for.
O
Currently,
the
numbers
in
kentucky
for
law
enforcement
affected
by
covet
are
down,
which
is
a
wonderful
thing,
given
the
new
delta
variant.
We
know
that,
there's
a
good
chance
law
enforcement
officers
will
join
the
public
in
increased
cases
amongst
our
ranks.
As
of
yesterday,
we
currently
have
901
law
enforcement
personnel
across
our
commonwealth
that
have
or
were
exposed
to
covid
with
1.1
percent
of
the
officers
currently
being
unable
to
work,
although
we
all
want
to
see
zeros
across
the
board.
This
is
an
encouraging
number.
O
O
I
know
to
some
that's
a
cliche
tagline
and
they
think
that
that's
a
get
out
of
jail
card
for
some
law
enforcement
officers
when
discussing
social
justice
or
police
reform.
But
it
is
the
truth.
There
is
no
one
I
have
served
with
in
my
17
years
in
the
variety
of
different
law
enforcement
capacities.
I've
worked,
who
enjoy,
who
enjoyed
working
with
or
supporting
a
bad
cop.
O
The
facts
show
that
99.9
of
our
law
enforcement
are
upstanding,
hard-working
law-abiding
members
of
the
community
who
choose
to
serve
with
the
intention
and
desire
to
stay
true
to
the
principles
that
brought
them
to
the
profession.
In
the
first
place,
this
past
session,
you
may
have
seen
the
state
fop
participate
in
different
conversations
on
the
topic
of
social
justice
and
police
reform.
We're
proud
to
be
a
part
of
those
conversations
we
believe
a
seat
at
the
table
with
the
fop's
name
on.
It
is
important
and
necessary
when
it
comes
to
any
discussion
on
law
enforcement.
O
There
have
been
criticism
across
the
country
and
in
this
state
about
police
unions
and
organizations
being
reluctant
to
embrace
police
reform.
Our
responsibility
is
to
provide
the
best
quality
law
enforcement.
We
can.
We
have
agencies
who
get
it.
They
utilize
the
correct
mixture
of
services
and
support
in
the
community,
because
they've
built
that
trust
with
them,
we're
not
against
discussions
nor
good,
fact-based
reforms
that
ensure
our
citizens
feel
safe
and
protected.
O
We
willingly
come
to
the
table
for
that.
I
do
want
to
say
this.
Education
on
both
sides
of
the
table
are
important,
but
more
important
than
that
are
those
fact-based
discussions
and
not
ones
where
rhetoric
and
narratives
take
center
stage.
The
theatrics
of
those
conversations
does
no
organization
any
good
and
only
exacerbates
any
problems
that
each
of
our
groups
believe
are.
There.
O
We've
proven
it
in
the
past
year
that
we
will
talk
to
anyone
and
listen
to
anyone
who
wants
to
have
these
kinds
of
conversations.
Our
national
fop
president
patrick
yo,
shared
this
statement
during
an
interview
last
year
with
npr
after
meeting
with
president
trump
and
several
ag's,
including
ours
here
in
kentucky
daniel
cameron
at
the
white
house.
O
This
quote,
I
think,
is
important.
You're
talking
about
the
national
fop
president.
We
all
agree
that
we
need
to
have
some
reform
and
continue
by
saying
just
look
at
what's
happening
in
our
country.
Right
now
we
have
emotions
that
are
so
high
on
both
sides
of
the
issue
and
in
the
middle
there's,
an
area
where
we
all
agree
and
I'm
confident
that
we
all
agree
that
we
need
to
have
some
reform.
O
We
need
to
have
some
discussions
on
how
to
improve
what
we
are
doing.
The
word
reform
can
be
loaded.
We're
here
to
say,
reform
can
be
supported
again
when
it's
fact
based
researched
and
all
stakeholders
have
an
opportunity
for
input
most
likely
law
enforcement
who
sometimes
get
gets
left
out
of
that
discussion.
O
Rhetoric
and
narratives
cannot
be
part
of
the
conversations
and
president
yos
is
absolutely
correct.
Coming
to
the
middle
to
hear
each
other
is
important,
but
not
at
the
expense
of
law
enforcement
and
the
profession
as
a
whole
in
kentucky
we're
taking
every
opportunity
to
continue
being
a
part
of
the
conversation
doing.
That
means
increasing
our
opportunities
through
training,
showcased
and
provided
by
the
national
fop.
A
big
part
of
our
response
to
social
justice
is
listening
to
organizations
and
learning
their
issues.
O
In
my
short
year
of
being
the
governmental
affairs
chair
for
our
organization,
I've
been
invited
to
take
part
in
calls
and
meetings
with
groups
that
don't
typically
involve
law
enforcement.
In
their
conversations
we've
reached
out
to
groups
to
begin
conversations,
and
in
fact
some
of
these
groups
that
we've
reached
out
to
believe
law
enforcement
should
be
fundamentally
changed,
defunded
or
even
abolished.
O
O
I'm
really
proud
that
our
organization
this
year
has
taken
that
and
we've
transitioned
towards
it.
Law
enforcement
has
nothing
to
hide,
we're
sworn
to
protect
and
serve,
and
that
is
what
we
do
and
we
do
it
well
continuing
on
the
topic
of
education.
We
want
to
continue
educating
the
public
about
what
law
enforcement
is
and
what
exactly
our
role
is
in
the
community.
Shutting
out
the
noise
has
to
happen
for
us
to
begin
building
back
the
trust
of
our
communities.
O
O
We
hear
of
pain
from
many
different
groups
about
law
enforcement,
but
let
me
say
this:
our
people
are
hurting
too
law
enforcement
personnel
are
being
forgotten
in
this
discussion.
Their
mental
and
physical
health
have
been
under
attack,
and
I
urge
you,
if
you
want
good
police
and
continued
good
police,
that
we
remember
those
in
uniform
when
discussing
people
affected
by
social
justice.
O
O
The
fop
remains
committed
to
meaningful
criminal
justice
reform
and
we
will
keep
working
with
our
partners
in
congress
and
the
administration
we're
equally
committed
to
preserving
and
reinforcing
the
protections
vital
to
officers
on
the
street.
We
share
in
the
frustration
of
all
americans
with
the
naysayers
and
the
bomb
throwers.
Our
fundamental
public
safety
issues
are
officer,
safety
and
officer
rights.
The
status
quo
is
not
acceptable
and
we
need
to
do
better.
O
Law
enforcement
doesn't
need
to
apologize
for
doing
their
job
and
they
don't
need
to
apologize
for
being
passionate
about
their
communities.
What
law
enforcement
needs
is
for
the
community
to
feel
safe
and
feel
supported
by
them,
while
respecting
the
men
and
women
who
put
on
a
badge
every
day
to
go
out
and
protect
them.
I
really
believe,
that's
always
been
the
way
it
is.
O
O
H
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
First
of
all
ryan,
let
me
thank
you
and
the
fop
for
your
efforts
that
you've
been
putting
forth
and
encouraging
the
officers
for
getting
the
vaccine.
H
I
encourage
you
all
to
continue
that
effort,
for
those
are
reluctant,
maybe
suggest
to
them.
If,
because
look
we're
living
in
a
very
divisive
time
and
and
there's
a
lot
of
conspiracy
theories
out
there,
if
they
don't
trust,
what
they're
hearing
go
see
somebody
in
the
medical
profession,
they
do
trust,
get
their
advice
on
it.
I
think
they're
going
to
hear
they
probably
should
get
them
so
but
appreciate
the
effort
thus
far.
Please
continue
to
do
so.
H
Clep
funding
is
something
that
a
tax
on
the
insurance
that
people
pay
for
a
training
incentive
and
I've
always
believed,
and
we
did
a
really
good
job,
the
last
four
or
five
years
of
not
sweeping
that
money
into
the
general
fund,
like
it
used
to
do
that.
Money
is
to
go
into
the
pockets
of
our
police
and
fire,
and
we
need
to
increase
that
to
the
maximum
level
we
can
to
put
it
into
the
pockets
of
our
police
and
firemen
that
are
out
there
working
every
day,
because
that's
what
it
was
designed
for.
H
It
wasn't
designed
for
all
these
other
things
it's
been
used
for
for
decades
and
that
helps
people
may
be
surprised
that
number
one
every
one
of
us
legislators
has
a
constituent
that
is
in
law
enforcement.
So
every
one
of
us
is
going
to
have
a
constituent,
that's
going
to
benefit
by
this
increase
without
raising
any
taxes.
H
Secondly,
some
of
our
smaller
departments.
You
may
be
surprised
to
pay
a
minimum
wage
to
maybe
10
an
hour.
I
know
a
local
sheriff's
department.
They
pay
10
an
hour
for
these
folks,
so
you
know
even
raising
it.
Seven
hundred
dollars
a
year
may
not
sound
like
a
lot
to
us,
but
some
of
these
folks,
just
making
ten
bucks
an
hour
or
seven
hundred
dollars
is
a
is
a
pretty
good
jump
for
them.
H
So
I
hope
we
can
get
behind
increasing
our
clut
funding
and
put
it
in
the
officers
and
the
firemen's
pockets
where
it's
supposed
to
go.
Thank
you,
mr
chairman.
H
A
A
B
Yes,
thank
you,
chairman
embry.
Actually,
as
I
heard
them,
speak
there
at
the
fop,
it
answered
the
question
I
had,
but.
B
That
these
these
men
and
women
that
serve
us
feel
like
they're
under
attack
and
to
sit
here
and
and
have
my
years
of
service
and
know
how
many
times
we've
called
on
them
to
to
to
be
there
for
us.
I
just
want
them
to
know
that,
as
as
your
senator
in
the
eastern
part
of
the
state
down
here,
we
support
our
men
and
women
in
blue.
I
want
to
go
on
a
record
saying
that
how
much
we
appreciate
you
all!
B
It
just
hurts
my
soul
to
hear
that
in
your
voice,
the
uncertainty
and
the
frustration
where
you
feel
like
you're
out
there
trying
to
serve
and
protect
people
that
despise
and
hate
you.
Sometimes
it
makes
it
sound
like
you're
a
politician,
but
we
do
care
a
great
deal
about
you
and
we
just
want
you
all
to
know
that
thanks.
Mr
chairman,.