Bowling Green Police Department Capt. Charles Hunter doesnt have any immediate plans now that he is retired. Im going to hibernate until February, Hunter said. Im going to take a little time to decompress and then decide what Im going to do from there. During his 30-plus years in law enforcement, Hunter worked for the BGPD and the Kentucky State Police. Hunter spent three years in the U.S. Army, serving in Europe and Vietnam, where he received a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. After leaving the Army, an FBI agent encouraged Hunter to apply to be a city police officer. The agent introduced Hunter to several of the officers and a short time later, he was hired. He started at the Bowling Green Police Department in 1969 and patrolled the streets for about three and a half years. Hunter was the second black police officer hired by the department. When Hunter was a teenager growing up in Bowling Green, police officer wasnt a career open to black people. We had no role model in the community, Hunter said. I had no idea this was what I wanted to do. Current City Commissioner Joe Denning was the only black officer in the department. Two more black officers were hired with Hunter. We just kind of fit right in, Hunter said. Denning has known Hunter since the two attended high school together. Hes a role model for everyone, Denning said. I certainly hate to see him go, but he has certainly earned the right to retire. Hunter managed a Jerrys Restaurant for a year, worked as a state trooper for eight years and came back to the Bowling Green department in 1983.It got in my blood those three years, Hunter said. That one year working at Jerrys, I really missed it. Hunter became the first black officer to be promoted by the department, all the way to captain. I believed that I fulfilled the trust the chiefs placed in me to do a very satisfactory job, Hunter said. Hunter said he likes to view himself as a role model to all young police officers, not just black officers. Crime Prevention Officer Tom Forte looked up to Hunter, calling him a deciding factor in his decision to join the police force in 1985.I had known him when he was a trooper, Forte said. That was kind of an encouragement for me. Forte said he and Hunter have talked more and more over the past few years. I think he will continue to be a good role model, Forte said. When I need someone to talk with, Im sure hell be available for me. Hunter was Fortes supervisor in the investigations unit. I could really count on him if I needed something, Forte said. That means a lot when you have a good rapport with your supervisor. Organizations have recognized Hunter, and people come up to him one-on-one to express how they feel about him. They say, We really are, as a community, really proud of what youve done with your life, Hunter said. He will miss the people he works with, the close friends he has made over the years. Ill miss some of the problem-solving aspects of the job, Hunter said. Hunter said he will be glad to be out of the public eye. But I still hope to carry myself with respect, he said.