One team from KY State Police investigates all officer shootings. Who are they?
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- KSP created CIRT in 2017 to investigate shootings, crashes and in‑custody deaths.
- CIRT comprises 17 members with about 325 combined years of law enforcement experience.
- Critics cite limited disclosure and slow records release after police shooting probes.
Since its creation in 2017, the Kentucky State Police unit that investigates all police shootings statewide — the Critical Incident Response Team — has probed nearly 200 officer shootings.
It’s also investigated about 200 major crashes every year, including a fatal collision involving a trooper in Perry County and a fatal wreck following a police chase in Rowan County, and handled the deaths of several people in police custody, said state police Lt. Hunter Martin.
The agency has statewide jurisdiction to investigate all police shootings, even the ones involving its own troopers. The team has investigated an average of 21 police shootings per year between 2017 and 2025.
The nature of those investigations — and the time they take to complete — have prompted concerns about transparency. KSP says it’s committed to sharing the findings of its investigations with the public, but only after the investigations are completed, typically months later, and only upon request.
So who is on the critical response team, and how much power do they have?
Here’s what we know about the team.
Who makes up KSP Critical Incident Response Team?
KSP’s Critical Incident Response Team was created in 2017. It’s made up of 17 officers: one captain, four lieutenants, seven sergeants, two detectives, one trooper, one commercial vehicle enforcement officer and one civilian forensic examiner.
Three lieutenants, five sergeants and two detectives are specifically assigned to investigate police shootings, while one lieutenant, two sergeants, the trooper and the commercial vehicle enforcement office are assigned to investigating crashes.
State police said team members are selected from regional posts across Kentucky and are experienced in their field. To join the team, an applicant must have at least three years of experience as a trooper.
Cumulatively, the team has about 325 years of combined law enforcement experience, said Commissioner Phillip Burnett Jr.
“This team performs high-quality work and has helped build a better, safer Kentucky through their impartial and unbiased investigations,” Burnett Jr. said in a statement to the Herald-Leader.
Before the creation of the CIRT, investigative personnel from state police’s posts investigated shootings involving officers from other agencies. If a trooper was involved in a shooting, two lieutenants from adjoining posts would investigate, according to state police.
Why the team was created
Burnett Jr. said the team was created to increase transparency and public trust with its investigations, “by utilizing standardized procedures, focused resources, quality fact gathering and swift response.”
Still, transparency has been a common public critique of the team.
State police have shared little additional information about a Feb. 3 police shooting in Lexington where three officers fatally shot a North Carolina man wanted on a domestic violence warrant. The CIRT is investigating the shooting, and if previous investigations are any indication, it will likely be a while before more information about the shooting is released.
The family of a Laurel County man shot and killed in 2024 by London police officers is suing state police as the agency continues to delay the release of records from its investigation into the death of Doug Harless, who was shot and killed by police attempting to serve a late-night search warrant at a different home.
The investigation concluded with a Laurel County grand jury declining to indict any of the officers involved in the shooting, which should have prompted the release of documents and video files police have closely guarded since the raid, lawyers for Harless’ estate previously told the Herald-Leader.
Instead, state police responded to a pair of new open records requests attorneys filed in February insisting officials need more time to review documents and determine whether they are subject to withholding and make necessary redactions. The agency said it “will provide a final response to” the requests on or before April 13.
Police shooting investigations are intricate and complex. They require hours of interviews and evidence analysis, which can take several months to complete. The investigations culminate in a report that is often hundreds of pages.
After a police shooting happens in the commonwealth, state police release a short, initial description of the incident. Information that is often excluded from state police’s summaries are descriptive details of what led up to the shooting, the identities of the officers involved or copies of body-worn camera footage.
Records requests for information about police shootings are frequently denied, citing an open investigation. The public is not typically alerted when the investigation is complete, either.
“Our team handles complex investigations, and we are proud of the work we have accomplished that has led to justice, protecting victims, and helping the criminal justice system better protect and serve all Kentuckians, but also the nation,” Martin said in a statement to the Herald-Leader.
Who is in charge of the CIRT?
Martin has served as the acting commander of the CIRT since March 16. He took over the job after the previous commander, Capt. Brad Riley, became the new commander of Post 9.
The team’s commander is overseen by the Division of Special Enforcement Director, and ultimately, the Office of Operations’ executive director, state police said.
All CIRT cases undergo “peer review” to ensure they were investigated professionally and thoroughly, state police said. They did not indicate if those reviews are done by other CIRT units.
