Family of BGPD officer Dale Barbiea to create Uncle Dale Scholarship in his honor

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Bowling Green Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own, as officer Dale Barbiea died over the weekend. Now, his family plans to establish a scholarship fund in his honor.

Barbiea served with BGPD from January 2008 until his death in many roles, namely a patrol officer and the longest tenured crisis negotiator at the department.

Originally from Louisville, he served in Jackson, Tennessee before coming to Bowling Green, where he was a rodeo cowboy.

Many in the community called him Uncle Dale, so his brother, Don, decided to create this fund to help the future of Bowling Green.

“Me and my wife were talking the other night, and I’m a doer, not an asker, so I told her, I said ‘I think I want to start a scholarship fund called the Uncle Dale Scholarship. What’s going to happen is we’re going to give $1,500 every year at least to a student. Everything over $1,500 will go to the next students above that,” Don says.

He adds there will be an essay included in the scholarship and the board will include a member of Dale’s family as well as representatives from the police and fire departments, school counselors or educators and a community member.

News 40 will have more information on the Uncle Dale Scholarship Fund as it becomes available.