The Bellevue Police Department has released its annual report for 2018, highlighting the department’s accomplishments and achievements over the past year. Bellevue Police continue to adapt to serve our diverse city while striving to deliver superior law enforcement services with respect, accountability and service. Some of the notable accomplishments for 2018 include:

The Police Department made significant changes to increase its overall efficiency. This includes a streamlined hiring process, new public records software to reduce the public disclosure process workload and a remote video camera system for prisoner arraignments. The transport officer was reassigned to handle citywide parking issues.

Bellevue has continued to experience a reductio n in certain property crimes for a third consecutive year. Residential burglaries and motor vehicle prowls are down by 20 percent and 21 percent respectively. This is a significant reduction that is a direct result of the diligent work of our investigators, bicycle officers, patrol officers, and sector captains.

n in certain property crimes for a third consecutive year. Residential burglaries and motor vehicle prowls are down by 20 percent and 21 percent respectively. This is a significant reduction that is a direct result of the diligent work of our investigators, bicycle officers, patrol officers, and sector captains. The department hired 26 new employees in 2018, despite the national challenge related to recruitment and hiring. This success is due in part to a hiring bonus offered to attract experienced officers.

The close relationship between the Police Department and the Bellevue community is one of the reasons that Bellevue enjoys one of the lowest crime rates for a community of its size. Bellevue Police Officers also remain highly trained; officers averaged 145 hours of training per officer in 2018, for a department-wide total of 24,593 training hours.

The 2018 annual report is available on the city of Bellevue’s website, or hard copies are available at Bellevue City Hall or at the police substations in Crossroads and Factoria.