Law enforcement training facility set to come to Madisonville

Western Kentuckians aspiring to become members of law enforcement will soon not have to travel to Richmond in order to receive training, but will be able to attend a training academy coming to Madisonville.

Kentucky law enforcement applicants are expected to attend 20 weeks of law enforcement basic training at the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) in Richmond which is in eastern Kentucky. At Thursday’s Team Kentucky Update, Governor Andy Beshear shared that the demand for law enforcement is growing as Kentucky’s population continues to increase.

In 2023, Beshear says law enforcement leaders approached him about establishing a training facility in western Kentucky. In his proposed budget for 2024, Beshear included $146 million for the construction of a new training facility, but the Kentucky General Assembly only appropriated around $50 million toward the facility.

Beshear says those funds will still go toward the construction of a new facility in Madisonville, but in the meantime a facility provided by the Madisonville Police Department will become the temporary home for the training facility.

Madisonville Mayor Kevin Cotton, expressed his appreciation for the legislators and law enforcement officials that worked together to allow Madisonville to play a big role in this generational opportunity for state law enforcement.

Beshear says the establishment of a second facility also means more law enforcement training slots will be available. In February 2025, Beshear says the training academy at the Madisonville Police Department will be open to applicants.

A completion date for construction of the training facility has not been set, but Beshear says it could take a couple of years.