Patrol Operations Division
The men and women of the Patrol Operations Division, commanded by Major L. Clark Arnold, perform the most visible and recognized functions of the Bowling Green Police Department. We are the ones that respond to citizen's needs. We are seen on the streets behind the wheel of a police car, looking for a lost child, comforting the victim of a crime or arresting an intoxicated driver.
Our officers serve the approximate 63,000 citizens who reside in an expanse of thirty-seven square miles that is known as Bowling Green, as well our many visitors who travel to our city daily for work and recreational purposes.
The patrol function includes the responsibility for responding to requests for emergency and non-emergency police service, offender apprehension, deterrence of crime, initial investigation, evidence gathering and maintenance of order within our community. The traffic function includes responsibilities of responding to vehicular collisions, maintaining proper traffic control and flow throughout the city and the issuance of traffic violation citations to encourage compliance with existing traffic laws or ordinances.
The men and women of Patrol Operations are the "backbone" of the organization and are our front-line ambassadors. The quality of life experienced in Bowling Green can be greatly attributed to the service provided by these men and women. They share a commitment to a 24 hour, seven days a week (holidays included), 365 days a year endeavor to insure that citizens can live and work here safely.
For operational purposes, the City is divided into eight patrol districts-using both geographical and man made boundaries combined with the volume of calls for service. While each district has unique law enforcement challenges, all of Bowling Green continues to experience rapid growth that requires the department to constantly reevaluate the way it protects the city. Each district has an assigned patrol sergeant who acts as a law enforcement liaison between our agency and the citizens he or she serves. Totaled, the eight districts are comprised of 35 square miles and 288 miles of roadway.