Paducah Police Chief Bridal Laird said the department has four divisions—operations, investigations/support services, 911 (moved under the department in 2019) and administration—and stressed training and technology are central to policing in Paducah.

"Paducah is a very safe city to live in," Laird said, rejecting internet claims that Paducah is the state's most dangerous city and attributing part of the misunderstanding to daytime population differences. He told Commissioner Dujuan Thomas that Kentucky requires officers to complete 40 hours of training each year after academy certification and said, "at the Paducah Police Department . . . typically, officers are getting 80 to 120 hours of training additional training each year." He said the department uses a training simulator and short roll‑call trainings to keep skills current.

Laird described patrol cars as "mobile offices" equipped with laptops, in‑car printers, integrated moving radar and in‑car cameras that work with body cameras through an Axon system. He explained that license‑plate readers built into cameras and a network of stationary cameras alert officers to stolen vehicles or missing persons in real time. "All of us have aging parents and grandparents," Laird said, noting the system checks plates automatically against national databases.

On use‑of‑force and pursuit policy, Laird said the department follows a restrictive vehicle‑pursuit policy: supervisors must approve pursuits and they are generally limited to situations where the danger of not apprehending the suspect is outweighed by the risk to the public, typically major violent felonies. He also listed less‑lethal options carried department‑wide, including beanbag shotguns, tasers, pepper spray and 'pepper ball' launchers, and said these tools are part of efforts to prevent lethal outcomes.

Laird noted operational changes to patrol vehicles—such as shifting from rooftop lightbars to low‑profile running‑board and window lights to improve visibility at intersections and reduce roof penetrations—and said SUVs better accommodate modern equipment (long rifles, cones, active‑shooter kits and riot gear).

He also emphasized transparency measures: in‑car rear cameras monitor prisoner compartments and body‑camera footage is reviewed by supervisors to resolve complaints or explain officers' actions. "Sometimes it's just an educational thing," Laird said of video reviews.

The department encourages community participation via an annual Citizens Police Academy and an open ride‑along program (background check required) to increase public understanding of policing and boost recruitment.

The department plans a new police facility to house local training, which Laird said would reduce travel for recruits and help hiring and retention. The department's annual report and recruitment information are available on paducahky.gov.

The next on‑camera step in the episode moved to a 911 center visit to discuss a separate multimillion‑dollar radio upgrade for city and county emergency communications.