Kentucky police head resigns over old training materials

FRANKFORT, KY. >> The head of Kentucky State Police is stepping down days after a report surfaced about old training materials the agency used that encouraged cadets to be “ruthless” and quoted Adolf Hitler.

Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer’s resignation is effective today, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet spokeswoman Morgan Hall said in a statement. She did not address why Brewer is stepping down, but said Lt. Col. Phillip Burnett was selected to be acting commissioner.

Brewer was appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear in January after previously leading the agency from December 2007 to February 2016.

The resignation comes after DuPont High School’s Manual RedEye first reported on the training materials last week. The newspaper said the presentation instructed cadets to “meet violence with greater violence” and included three quotes from Hitler and a quote from Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The Kentucky Justice Cabinet has said the instructional materials were last used in 2013 and officials are working to “swiftly and thoroughly conduct an internal review of all training materials” used by state police.

Beshear said in a statement on Monday that officials believe the presentation was shown only once, “but it is absolutely and totally unacceptable.”

“We are checking all training materials going back in time and looking at the present,” Beshear said. “We’re committed to making this right.”

The high school paper in Louisville said the training materials were included in documents obtained by a Louisville attorney through an open records request involving a lawsuit over a fatal police shooting in Harlan County. The high school journalists at the Manual Redeye are related to a partner at the firm handling the lawsuit, the newspaper reported.