LEXINGTON, Ky. — City leaders announced plans Monday to honor corrections officers at the Fayette County Detention Center during a dedication ceremony kicking off Corrections Officer Appreciation Week, which runs through May 9.

Mayor Linda Gorton, Chief of Corrections G. Scott Colvin and state Representative George Brown Jr. held the ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at the Officers' Dining Room in the detention center facility on Old Frankfort Circle. The event also honored the late Rodney Ballard, a former chief of corrections who passed away in July 2025.

The ceremony marked the opening of a national week recognizing the work of correctional officers. National Correctional Officers Week was established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan to recognize the dedication and professionalism required in the correctional profession.

Under Chief Colvin's leadership, the Fayette County Detention Center has achieved significant staffing gains. The facility, once short 130 corrections officers, now has just eight vacancies and leads the nation in American Jail Association-certified corrections officers. The detention center is nationally recognized for its operations.

Members of the Lexington Community Corrections and other public safety officials attended the ceremony, held in Lexington's largest county detention facility.