David Hay

David Hay joined the Department of Criminal Justice Training when he was appointed Training Operations director by Gov. Andy Beshear on Nov. 1, 2024. Hay has served in a public safety role for the past 30 years and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He graduated from Berea College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and after retiring from active law enforcement, earned a Master of Science in Psychology from Grand Canyon University, a Master of Philosophy in Criminal Justice, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (Police Administration) from Walden University. Hay has worked on projects for police agencies to advance recruitment of marginalized populations and advance ethical leadership.

Hay has 20 years of service with the Kentucky State Police, rising through the ranks and retiring as a captain. He is a KLEC-certified instructor and was commander of multiple assignments across the state during his career, including the first full-time commander of what is now the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). Furthermore, Hay has supported numerous law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across the Commonwealth in felony investigations involving motor vehicle collisions and is recognized as an expert witness by multiple courts in collision reconstruction investigations.

In addition to Hay’s law enforcement experience, he served as the Assistant Vice President of Campus Safety at Asbury University for more than a decade, focusing on building relationships and trust with an international campus community and local first responders, while advancing security measures, policies, and programs. Hay previously served as an adjunct professor at Eastern Kentucky University and Upper Iowa University, teaching various traffic safety and criminal justice courses over the majority of the last two decades.