The patrol division is responsible for the protection of life and property within the university community.

The University Police Department is a full service agency and operates 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Patrol division officers completes the initial investigation and if the case remains open, it is referred to the investigations division.

All patrol officers are required to complete the eighteen-week police academy located at the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training facility in Richmond, Kentucky.

Additionally, officers must complete forty hours of in-service training and other mandatory training.

WKU Officers have County Wide jurisdiction, including the streets passing through and adjacent thereto and offer mutual aid to adjoining authorities.

The police officers of the WKU Police have full police powers, including arrest powers, under Kentucky Revised Statute 164.975. The department is a professional law enforcement agency observing the highest standards of professional ethics in its operation.

WKU officers have a professional working relationship with members of the Bowling Green Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff's Office, the Kentucky State Police, and Federal Agencies.