Press Releases
Congressman Rogers and FBI Director Kash Patel Praise Law Enforcement in Southern & Eastern Kentucky
Feb 27 2026
MANCHESTER, Ky. — U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) invited FBI Director Kash Patel to Manchester, Kentucky for an appreciation luncheon and panel discussion with 150 law enforcement officers and prosecutors from Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District. The event was held at the EKU Manchester Campus, where attendees had the opportunity to meet Director Patel and discuss successes and challenges in law enforcement in rural America.
“I’m thrilled to have the nation’s top law enforcement chief here to meet with Kentucky’s finest police officers and prosecutors. Collaboration is key across the local, state and federal levels, as we work to make our region and our nation safer,” said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. “Police work is often a thankless job, but not today. Director Patel and I are here to praise the brave men and women who serve and protect Kentucky’s Appalachian region.”
Under Director Patel’s leadership, the FBI has achieved remarkable increases in arrests for violent crimes, counterterrorism, child predators and human traffickers.
The event also featured a panel discussion between the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshal Collier Phillips, Kentucky State Police Commissioner P.J. Burnett, Clay County Sheriff Patrick Robinson and Somerset Police Chief Josh Wesley. In addition to discussing collaboration between agencies, panelists focused on the impact of border security in rural America, changes in drug trafficking trends and online safety for Kentucky youth.
Congressman Rogers also announced $20 million in Community Project Funding that he secured for police departments in southern and eastern Kentucky to upgrade their communications equipment. The funding was signed into law by President Trump in January.
“Recent natural disasters in our mountainous region have magnified the need for upgrades in radios and other communications equipment. So, I am pleased that this federal funding will soon be available exclusively to our police departments in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District,” said Congressman Rogers.
“I’m thrilled to have the nation’s top law enforcement chief here to meet with Kentucky’s finest police officers and prosecutors. Collaboration is key across the local, state and federal levels, as we work to make our region and our nation safer,” said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the House. “Police work is often a thankless job, but not today. Director Patel and I are here to praise the brave men and women who serve and protect Kentucky’s Appalachian region.”
Under Director Patel’s leadership, the FBI has achieved remarkable increases in arrests for violent crimes, counterterrorism, child predators and human traffickers.
The event also featured a panel discussion between the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshal Collier Phillips, Kentucky State Police Commissioner P.J. Burnett, Clay County Sheriff Patrick Robinson and Somerset Police Chief Josh Wesley. In addition to discussing collaboration between agencies, panelists focused on the impact of border security in rural America, changes in drug trafficking trends and online safety for Kentucky youth.
Congressman Rogers also announced $20 million in Community Project Funding that he secured for police departments in southern and eastern Kentucky to upgrade their communications equipment. The funding was signed into law by President Trump in January.
“Recent natural disasters in our mountainous region have magnified the need for upgrades in radios and other communications equipment. So, I am pleased that this federal funding will soon be available exclusively to our police departments in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District,” said Congressman Rogers.
For more information about Congressman Rogers’ work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.