THE APEX TIMES
Nicholasville police and Jessamine County sheriff’s SROs complete 32-hour de-escalation instruction certification at Transylvania University
Representatives from the Nicholasville Police Department and the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office took part in a 32-hour course at Transylvania University focused on teaching de-escalation techniques used in school settings.
Officials with the Nicholasville Police Department and the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office said their school resource officers (SROs) and related representatives completed a de-escalation instruction certification course at Transylvania University on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, according to a report by WKYT.
The training covered 32 hours of coursework and focused on techniques intended to help reduce tensions and manage high-stress situations more safely, particularly in environments involving students and school staff.
The course included representatives from the Nicholasville Police Department and the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office, both of which provide public safety support in and around local schools through SROs and other assigned personnel.
Transylvania University was the host site for the certification training, and the program provided participants instruction on how to teach de-escalation approaches to others, rather than limiting the course to officer-level participation.
Law enforcement officials typically use de-escalation training to support consistent practices during interactions that can escalate quickly, including confrontations, misunderstandings, and incidents that may involve students or other community members who are not accustomed to police involvement.
After the completion of the certification, the departments said the officers and representatives involved are positioned to carry the instruction back to their respective agencies and support de-escalation practices in day-to-day school-area operations. The immediate next steps, including how the agencies will schedule any internal rollouts or instructor assignments, were not detailed in the report.
Why It Matters
- De-escalation instruction aimed at school environments can affect how quickly incidents are managed when emotions run high and students are involved.
- The 32-hour certification suggests a structured, agency-impacting effort, not a brief familiarization session.
- Because the training included participants from two different agencies, it may support more consistent practices across the school-area responses they oversee.
- Instructor certification can reduce reliance on outside training by enabling departments to deliver internal instruction over time, with benefits for institutional consistency.
Key Facts
- Representatives from the Nicholasville Police Department and the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office attended a 32-hour de-escalation instruction certification course at Transylvania University.
- The training was reported by WKYT as completed on Aug. 3, 2026.
- The program centered on instruction in de-escalation techniques for use in school settings.
- The certification was described as an instruction certification, indicating participants were trained to teach de-escalation approaches to others.