Southern Police Institute swears in first female SVE officer

Among the 48 graduates who completed the course was Lt. Emily R. Horton, the first female Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division officer to graduate from the SPI in its storied history.
Southern Police Institute swears in first female SVE officer

Lt. Emily R. Horton, the first female Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division officer to graduate from the SPI

By Alicia Kelso

The Southern Police Institution first opened at the University of Louisville in 1951 and has since become a staple on the Oval of the Belknap Campus. 

Recently, the school hosted its 143rd Administrative Officers Course, a 12-week program attended by officers from 18 different states and representing 43 law enforcement agencies. Among the 48 graduates who completed the course was Lt. Emily R. Horton, the first female Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division officer to graduate from the SPI in its storied history.

As Kentucky Today reported, Horton is a 13-year veteran of the KSP and is currently assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Central Region.

The course curriculum is designed to develop informed, effective, ethically and technically competent law enforcement managers who are capable of assuming positions of leadership in their respective agencies.

KSP Commissioner Rodney Brewer told the publication that Horton “epitomizes the leadership model that we continually foster within the Kentucky State Police,” adding that her experiences at the Southern Police Institution will strengthen her abilities.

As for her personal experience? Horton simply says that she’s appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the prestigious course: “I would … do it all over again if I could.”

Photo provided by Kentucky Today.