{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-15a.020","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 15A.020","heading":"Organization of Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.","body":"(1) The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet shall have the following departments:\n(a) Department of Corrections;\n(b) Department of Criminal Justice Training, which shall have the following\ndivisions:\n1. Training Operations Division; and\n2. Administrative Division;\n(c) Department of Juvenile Justice, which shall have the following offices and\ndivisions:\n1. Office of Program Operations, which shall have the following divisions:\na. Division of Western Region;\nb. Division of Eastern Region; and\nc. Division of Placement Services;\n2. Office of Support Services, which shall have the following divisions:\na. Division of Administrative Services;\nb. Division of Program Services; and\nc. Division of Professional Development;\n3. Office of Community and Mental Health Services, which shall have the\nfollowing division:\na. Division of Community and Mental Health Services;\n4. Office of Detention, which shall require that all detention centers report\nto one (1) supervisor who repor ts directly to the commissioner, and\nwhich shall have the following division:\na. Division of Transportation; and\n5. Division of Compliance;\n(d) Department of Kentucky State Police, which shall have the following offices\nand divisions:\n1. Office of Administ rative Services, which shall be headed by an\nexecutive director who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the\ncommissioner;\na. Division of Operational Support, which shall be headed by a\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Administrative Services; and\nb. Division of Management Services, which shall be headed by a\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Administrative Services;\n2. Office of Operations, which shall be headed by an executive director\nwho sh all be appointed by the commissioner of the Department of\nKentucky State Police and who shall report to the commissioner;\na. Division of West Troops, which shall be headed by a director who\nshall be appointed by the commissioner of the Department of\nKentucky State Police and who shall report to the executive\ndirector of the Office of Operations;\nb. Division of East Troops, which shall be headed by a director who\nshall be appointed by the commissioner of the Department of\nKentucky State Police and who shall report to the executive\ndirector of the Office of Operations;\nc. Division of Special Enforcement, which shall be headed by a\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Operations; and\nd. Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, which shall be\nheaded by a director who shall be appointed by the commissioner\nof the Department of Kentucky State Police and who shall report\nto the executive director of the Office of Operations; and\n3. Office of Technical Services, which shall be headed by an executive\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the Department\nof Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the commissioner;\na. Division of Forensic Services, which shall be headed by a director\nwho shall have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a natural\nscience and at least seven (7) years of experience in an accredited\nforensic laboratory, who shall be appointed by the commissioner\nof the Department of Kentucky State Police, and who shall report\nto the executive director of the Office of Technical Services;\nb. Division of Electronic Services, which shall be headed by a\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentucky State Police and who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Technical Services; and\nc. Division of Records Management, which shall be headed by a\ndirector who shall be appointed by the commissioner of the\nDepartment of Kentuck y State Police and who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Technical Services; and\n(e) Department of Public Advocacy, which shall have the following divisions:\n1. Protection and Advocacy Division;\n2. Division of Law Operations;\n3. Division of Trial Services;\n4. Division of Post-Trial Services;\n5. Division of Conflict and Contract Services; and\n6. Division of Education, Strategic Planning, and Recruitment.\n(2) Each department, except for the Department of Public Advocacy, shall be he aded\nby a commissioner who shall be appointed by the secretary of the Justice and Public\nSafety Cabinet with the approval of the Governor as required by KRS 12.040. Each\ncommissioner shall be directly responsible to the secretary and shall have such\nfunctions, powers, and duties as provided by law and as the secretary may\nprescribe. The Department of Public Advocacy shall be headed by the public\nadvocate, appointed as required by KRS 31.020, who shall be directly responsible\nto the Public Advocacy Commissio n. The Department of Public Advocacy is an\nindependent state agency which shall be attached to the Justice and Public Safety\nCabinet for administrative purposes only. The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet\nshall not have control over the Department of Publi c Advocacy's information\ntechnology equipment and use unless granted access by court order.\n(3) The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet shall have the following offices and\ndivisions:\n(a) Office of the Secretary, which shall be headed by a deputy secretary\nappointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 and responsible for the direct\nadministrative support for the secretary and other duties as assigned by the\nsecretary, and which, with the approval of the secretary, may employ such\nstaff as necessary to perform the duties, functions, and responsibilities of the\noffice;\n(b) Office of Human Resource Management, which shall be headed by an\nexecutive director appointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall be responsible\nto and report to the secretary and be responsible for all matte rs relating to\nhuman resources, and who, with the approval of the secretary, may employ\nsuch staff as necessary to perform the duties, functions, and responsibilities of\nthe office;\n1. Division of Human Resource Administration, which shall be headed by\na d irector appointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall report to the\nexecutive director of the Office of Human Resource Management; and\n2. Division of Employee Management, which shall be headed by a director\nappointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall report to  the executive\ndirector of the Office of Human Resource Management;\n(c) Office of Legal Services, which shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 and 12.210, that:\n1. Shall provide legal representation and services for the cabinet; and\n2. May investigate all complaints regarding the facilities, staff, treatment\nof juveniles, and other matters relating to the operation of the Justice\nand Public Safety Cabinet. If it appears that there is a violation of\nstatutes, administrative regulations, policies, court decisions, the rights\nof juveniles who are subject to the orders of the department, or any other\nmatter relating to the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the office shall\nreport to the secretary of the Justice and Public Safe ty Cabinet who\nshall, if required, refer the matter to a law enforcement agency,\nCommonwealth's attorney, county attorney, the Attorney General, or\nfederal agencies, as appropriate. The office may be used to investigate\nmatters in which there is a suspicio n of violation of written policy,\nadministrative regulation, or statutory law within the Department of\nPublic Advocacy only when the investigation will have no prejudicial\nimpact upon a person who has an existing attorney -client relationship\nwith the Depar tment of Public Advocacy. Notwithstanding the\nprovisions of this subparagraph, investigation and discipline of KRS\nChapter 16 personnel shall continue to be conducted by the Department\nof Kentucky State Police pursuant to KRS Chapter 16. The office shall\nconduct no other investigations under the authority granted in this\nsubparagraph. The secretary may, by administrative order, assign the\ninvestigative functions in this subparagraph to a branch within the\noffice.\nThe executive director shall be directly re sponsible to and report to the\nsecretary and, with the approval of the secretary, may employ such attorneys\nappointed pursuant to KRS 12.210 and other staff as necessary to perform the\nduties, functions, and responsibilities of the office;\n(d) Office of Le gislative and Intergovernmental Services, which shall be headed\nby an executive director appointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall be\nresponsible for all matters relating to the provision of support to the Criminal\nJustice Council, legislative liaison services, and functions and duties vested in\nthe Criminal Justice Council as described in KRS 15A.030. The executive\ndirector shall be directly responsible to and report to the secretary and may\nemploy such staff as necessary to perform the duties, functions,  and\nresponsibilities of the office;\n(e) Office of Communications, which shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed by the secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet pursuant to\nKRS 12.050 who shall be responsible to report to the secretary  and be\nresponsible for all matters relating to communications, and who, with the\napproval of the secretary, may employ such staff as necessary to perform the\nduties, functions, and responsibilities of the office;\n1. Information and Technology Services Div ision, which shall be headed\nby a director appointed by the secretary of the Justice and Public Safety\nCabinet pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall report to the executive\ndirector of the Office of Communications;\n(f) Office of Financial Management Services, w hich shall be headed by an\nexecutive director appointed by the secretary of the Justice and Public Safety\nCabinet pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall be responsible to report to the\nsecretary and be responsible for all matters relating to fiscal functions, an d\nwho, with the approval of the secretary, may employ such staff as necessary\nto perform the duties, functions, and responsibilities of the office;\n1. Division of Financial Management, which shall be headed by a director\nappointed by the secretary of the J ustice and Public Safety Cabinet\npursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall report to the executive director of the\nOffice of Financial Management Services;\n(g) Grants Management Division, which shall be headed by a director appointed\nby the secretary of the Justice  and Public Safety Cabinet pursuant to KRS\n12.050 who shall be responsible to report to the secretary and be responsible\nfor all matters relating to state and federal grants management, and who, with\nthe approval of the secretary, may employ such staff as necessary to perform\nthe duties, functions, and responsibilities of the office;\n(h) Office of the Kentucky State Medical Examiner, which shall be headed by a\nchief medical examiner appointed pursuant to KRS 72.240 who shall be\nresponsible for all matters r elating to forensic pathology and forensic\ntoxicology and other duties as assigned by the secretary. The executive\ndirector appointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 shall be responsible for all matters\nrelated to the administrative support of the Office of the Sta te Medical\nExaminer. The executive director shall report directly to the secretary and\nwith the approval of the secretary may employ such administrative support\nstaff as necessary to perform the administrative duties, functions, and\nresponsibilities of the  office. The chief medical examiner shall be directly\nresponsible to and report to the secretary and may employ such staff as\nnecessary to perform the forensic duties, functions, and responsibilities of the\noffice; and\n(i) Office of Drug Control Policy, which shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed pursuant to KRS 12.050 who shall be responsible for all matters\nrelating to the research, coordination, and execution of drug control policy\nand for the management of state and federal grants, includin g but not limited\nto the prevention and treatment related to substance abuse. By December 31\nof each year, the Office of Drug Control Policy shall review, approve, and\ncoordinate all current projects of any substance abuse program which is\nconducted by or receives funding through agencies of the executive branch.\nThis oversight shall extend to all substance abuse programs which are\nprincipally related to the prevention or treatment, or otherwise targeted at the\nreduction, of substance abuse in the Commonwea lth. The Office of Drug\nControl Policy shall promulgate administrative regulations consistent with\nenforcing this oversight authority. The executive director shall be directly\nresponsible to and report to the secretary and may employ such staff as\nnecessary to perform the duties, functions, and responsibilities of the office.","path":["KRS Chapter 15A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54582","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:48:35Z","sha256":"a87b5aeef6786b98ca9aded93c89b275be01339a9e7f5cf252b72f6e98b30983","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-15a.015","next":"us-ky/krs-15a.030"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}