The Bellevue Police Department is located in Bellevue, Washington. As of 2021, there were 186 commissioned officers and 47 civilian employees. The department's annual operating budget is about $51 million. It services 145,000 people. The main Bellevue Police Station is located in Bellevue City Hall, at 450 110th Avenue Northeast. There are also two other substations throughout the city in Factoria and Crossroads. BPD patrols six districts. The current Chief of Police is Wendell Shirley.
Command structure
Police Chief Wendell Shirley
Assistant Chief Patrick Arpin
Major of Patrol Operations Mark Tarantino
Major of Planning and Research Andrew Popochock
Major of Investigations Travess Forbush
Administrative Services Manager Melissa King
History
Bellevue became incorporated in 1953 and the police department was created by City Ordinance #8 on April 28, 1953. Chief G.L. "Jerry" Plowman was appointed as Chief of Police. By May 1953, staff included four officers (Chief Plowman, Sgt. George Whitman, and Officers Bob Sollitto and Jack Allen), and service was 24 hours per day. The first police headquarters was located at Chief Plowman's house in the Surrey Downs neighborhood, where calls would be taken and the porch light turned on to notify Chief Plowman to stop by for orders. Police headquarters was moved to a rented space in the old V.F.W. hall, and in 1954 an old school at 100th Avenue and Main Street became the new home of the City of Bellevue. During the department's formative years, surrounding departments, including the King County Police and the Washington State Patrol, helped the new staff at BPD to get started, and the city of Kirkland rented space in their jail for Bellevue to use in 1954. By 1955, the population of Bellevue was 9,000, and there were 10 Officers working for the department. In October 1960, the department moved into new quarters at 106th Avenue NE and NE 8th Street.
By 1962, the population of Bellevue was 14,700, with department personnel numbering 22 sworn officers. In 1963, the department had its first dispatch center. In 1964, the department moved to 116th Avenue SE and Main Street, where it remained until 2006. In 1965, the department created a traffic division, and assigned 5 officers to Traffic enforcement duties. Also in 1965, Bellevue experienced its first homicide. In 1968, Bellevue had 49 sworn officers. That same year the college incentive program was offered.
By 1970, the city, through annexation, had grown to be the 4th largest city in the state of Washington, and the department had 92 personnel. In 1971, the department formed the vice and narcotics detail, as well as the harbor patrol. In 1972, the rank of Sergeant was eliminated as part of a motion to combine the police and fire departments. The potential merger drew intense criticism and was eventually scrapped, but the Sergeant's position was never reinstated, and first line supervisors in the department remain lieutenants. In 1973, the department grew to 106 personnel, including 26 civilian personnel. In May of that year, one person was killed and another injured by the "Bellevue sniper." The sniper was apprehended and later convicted for homicide.
In June 1975, the department entered into a new phase of policing, called "team policing," in which officers worked more closely with the community than they had in the past. In order to meet the increased demands on the patrol section, 10 new positions were added in 1981. The city's public safety training center became a reality in 1983. The training facility houses a firing range, exercise facility, classrooms, drill tower, and K-9 area, as well as a large paved parking lot which is used for motorcycle officer training and re-certification.
The decade between 1975 and 1984 saw many advances and changes with the department. During those years the crime prevention unit was formed, uniformed officers took a greater role in investigations, the Tactical Arms Group was formed, and the crime analysis unit was formed. 1986 saw the beginning of the Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) role. 7 officers received the initial training, which involved crime scene and evidence processing. CSI officers gather evidence at major crime scenes, resulting in faster and more thorough crime scene processing.