Bellevue Police Department Officer and Detective of the Year Recognized

As they do annually, the Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee (ELEC) met in January and selected the Bellevue Police Department Officer of the Year and Detective of the Year for 2024. 

2024 OFFICER OF THE YEAR – Officer Dan Weber

The ELEC selected Officer Dan Weber as the 2024 Officer of the Year. Throughout the year, Officer Weber responded to several calls where his actions resulted in departmental commendations. This included two instances where it was determined that Officer Weber’s actions saved lives. Officer Weber also volunteers for multiple extra-duty assignments including Motors Training, Indoor Drone Operator, and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE).

Overall, in 2024, Officer Weber had 1,152 officer-initiated activities, completed 21 crash reports, made 124 total arrests – including 21 drug arrests, 15 felony arrests, and 34 other criminal arrests.  He issued 290 citations and led the department in violations/warnings issued with 842.  Officer Weber also led the department in DUI arrests with 30!

The calls and statistics outlined above are just a few of the great things Officer Weber does day in and day out as a leader amongst his peers.

2024 DETECTIVE OF THE YEAR – Detective Karen Wrigley

The ELEC selected Detective Karen Wrigley as the 2024 Detective of the Year. Karen had an outstanding year where she completed investigations into countless cases. Among those cases, two stuck out due to the significant depth and impact.

The first case involved theft by deception, where over $16,000 was paid to a contractor for work that was never completed.  Detective Wrigley combed through hundreds of pages of information to counter the suspects’ claims and solidify the case. Detective Wrigley then completed a news interview which led to additional victims coming forward throughout the Mero area.  Detective Wrigley also worked with the Omaha Police Department for charges in their jurisdiction.

The second case began with an identity theft report from a Verizon store in Bellevue where an out-of-state victim’s identity and credit card information were fraudulently used to purchase merchandise.  The suspect’s vehicle was identified and stopped by BPD.  The suspects were identified and arrested for their fraudulent purchases.  Detective Wrigley conducted numerous interviews, subpoenas, and search warrants which further identified multiple victims across the country.  Detective Wrigley contacted these victims and directed them to report the fraud to their local agencies.  The FBI was brought in to assist, and they discovered the suspects were involved in millions of dollars in similar fraud throughout the country.

Besides her work on these cases, Detective Wrigley is very active within the department.  She is a member of the Honor Guard, a Use of Force Instructor, a member of the Crash Team, Peer Support, and a Crisis Negotiator. 

Both officers are very deserving, and we are lucky to have them as members of the Bellevue Police Department. Congratulations Dan and Karen!