The Bowling Green Police Department continues to meet state standards for the department, becoming the second agency in the state to receive accreditation four consecutive times by the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police.

City police were re-accredited in July by the agency and were honored Wednesday at the KACP conference in Hebron. The accreditation lasts five years.

The department did an outstanding job throughout the accreditation process, said Michael Bischoff, executive director of the KACP. It met all 157 requirements and passed the on-site inspection “with flying colors,” he said.

“The assessment looks at everything that goes into running a police department,” he said.

It focuses on emergency operation procedures such as pursuits, use of force and safety procedures, and includes a detailed review of property procedures, Bischoff said.

Bowling Green is one of the few departments in the state that takes leadership training all the way down to the officer level, he said.

“We were very impressed with some of their innovative ideas,” Bischoff said.

The accreditation process provides a lot of valuable information to the department, Chief Doug Hawkins said, and is a chance for an unbiased third party to review how things are being done.

“It ensures that we are meeting the highest standards of policy and procedure,” Hawkins said.

The department uses the accreditation as a measuring tool that shows it is doing everything it can for the public, he said.

“We try to not only meet but exceed the requirements whenever possible,” Hawkins said.

The review also includes questioning department staff throughout to ensure that they understand and use the department’s policies, he said.

“They work to make sure the policies aren’t simply words on paper,” Hawkins said.

“Bowling Green was one of the first departments to go through this process and have done a great job in keeping up standards,” Bischoff said. “We don’t rubber-stamp these things.”

The goal of receiving accreditation was to help departments keep up with changes in legislation and police procedures nationwide to make sure departments are doing what they should, Bischoff said.