Peace Officer Professional Standards 
(POPS)
POPS dictate what the minimum standard is for becoming a peace officer in Kentucky. The law requires applicants to law enforcement agencies in Kentucky to meet 16 pre-employment standards prior to becoming a peace officer in the state.

The POPS standards include five physical fitness measures. To pass this component of POPS, applicants must be able to bench press 73 percent of their body weight, complete 18 sit-ups within one minute, finish a 300-meter run in 65 seconds, perform 25 push-ups and run 1.5 miles within 16 minutes and 15 seconds.

The POPS standards also requires that applicants be U.S. citizens, be at least 21 years of age, have obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent, possess a valid driver's license, submit fingerprints for a criminal background check, not convicted of a felony offense, not prohibited by federal or state law from possessing a firearm, have read the Code of Ethics, and have not received a dishonorable discharge or general discharge under other than honorable conditions.

Applicants also must not have not had certification as a peace officer permanently revoked in another state, have a medical examination, have a background investigation, be interviewed by the Oldham County Police Department, take a written suitability screener, pass a drug screen test and take a polygraph examination.

 
The following chart is used to determine the points for each event.  In order to meet the state standard, an overall minimum of 50 points must be achieved.
 
Physical Performance Points Distribution
Event 9 pts 9.5 pts 10 pts 10.5 pts 11 points
Bench Press (% body weight) 55.3% 59.7% 64% 68.5% > 73%
Sit Ups (repetitions) 13 16 18 ------ > 18
300 Meter Run (seconds) 68 67 65 ------ < 65
Push Ups (repetitions) 14 17 20 23 > 25
1.5 Mile Run (minimum seconds) 17:56 17:34 17:12 16:44 < 16:15