As they do annually, on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, the Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee (ELEC) met and selected the Bellevue Police Department Officer of the Year and Detective of the Year for 2023.
The ELEC selected Officer David Bafaro as the Officer of the Year. David had a spectacular year and was selected as Officer of the Quarter in the first and third quarters of 2023. This was due to his response to a multitude of emergency response situations, including but not limited to; locating a missing 7-year-old child who had not returned home after school, assisting the FBI with a search warrant where he utilized his negotiation skills, locating an out-of-state fugitive (where his negotiations skills were utilized), and successful crisis negotiations with three separate suicidal subjects. In addition to these incidents, in his nomination David was described as, “a consummate team player, always willing to lend a hand to get the job done. He is dependable, hardworking, and produces a quality work product.”
The ELEC selected Detective Troy Boyle for Detective of the Year for 2023. As was written in his nomination, “During the course of the year, Detective Boyle earned 3 commendations for his work in CID (Criminal Investigative Division).” Further, “In addition to the work he exhibited which earned him these accommodations, Detective Boyle maintained a nearly 100% case clearance rate for the year and made 9 arrests.” One particular case worth noting involved an arrest and subsequent conviction of a sexual assault perpetrator (with three victims). The case resulted in a sentence of 160 years in prison for the perpetrator.
Besides his investigative work, it should also be noted that Troy Boyle is a member of the Honor Guard, which had a very busy and trying year with the passing of two law enforcement officers in the area. Additionally, Troy administers and oversees the department’s Taser program. Both of these officers are very deserving, and we are lucky to have them as members of the Bellevue Police Department. Congratulations David and Troy!
