BGPD hosts virtual ride along

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Monday night, the Bowling Green Police Department conducted a virtual ride along.

Viewers from the public were able to tune in via Facebook to watch the activities of officer Ben Carroll and officer Mary Lynn Smith as they went about their patrol shifts.

The concept, which sergeant Brad Hogue said he has seen done in Florida, was meant to bring the public closer to the officers patrolling their streets and to give them a glimpse into the lives of officers as they go about their day-to-day jobs. Through photos and descriptions on Facebook, it gave followers a small window into a shift with the officers.

“We just thought that it would be a different way to connect with the community and let community members and people that follow us and social media know what our officers do over the course of the shift,” Hogue said.