Thinking back on 2022, after our first full year of posting articles on The Bellevue Times, by all measures it was a very productive year at the Bellevue Police Department (BPD). There are numerous new and expanded services, as well as notable initiatives that we will continue to highlight as we move forward with future articles.
With that in mind, I am writing today to make you aware of some national and international recognition that BPD is receiving. As you may already know, (as we have written about it on this forum before) the BPD was the first police department in the nation to sign-on to the 30×30 Initiative. The goal of the 30×30 Initiative is to increase the percentage of women in police officer academies to thirty percent by 2030. Currently, women make up between twelve and thirteen percent of law enforcement today. In 2022, our pro-active efforts were highlighted in a Washington Post article, as well as at a Department of Justice symposium. Having said that, most recently we have now drawn international attention for our efforts, as Tomas Kvarnkullen – a reporter from Sweden Channel 4 (among the largest Scandinavian news channels), made a trip to Bellevue to do a story on BPD. His story was intended to highlight BPD’s efforts to become more diverse, and the benefits of having a diverse department.
In December 2022, BPD Officer Hobbs posted a video on Twitter (@OfcHobbs) and Facebook highlighting the BPD roll-out and testing of a new Ford MACH-E electric vehicle (pictured below). This effort has drawn attention of media throughout the mid-west and has led to numerous queries. In fact, Ford Motor Company plans on highlighting the video on @FordPro’s social channels as part of its ‘First Responder Friday’ series.
Finally, as previously discussed on this forum, the BPD has been fortunate to be one of the few mid-sized law enforcement agencies in the U.S. to be at capacity in terms of our staffing levels. This is largely due to substantial recruiting and retention efforts that have been put into place since late 2020. Those efforts and our results have gained national attention, and we have been asked to discuss our successes and lessons learned on an upcoming Justice Clearinghouse webinar. Lieutenant Howard Banks and I will be hosting that 90-minute session, which will post this week. (Editor’s Note: Link here)
We at the BPD are looking forward to providing you the best product possible – maximizing your tax dollars – and leading to the safest community possible.
Chief Ken Clary,
Bellevue Police Department
