In August 1973, the department established the Bomb Squad unit with one operator in order to deal with the emerging threat of explosive ordnance in the city.

In June 1999, the department made city history with the promotion of Eric L. Mattlock as the first African-American chief of police for Bakersfield.

The killing of two adults and three children in their own home sparked international media coverage and an investigation that would cross the entire United States.

The announcement noted that technology and safety gear had improved and that motorcycle officers are needed to step up traffic enforcement in response to an increase in rush hour crashes.

[23] In August 2019, BPD restarted their solo police academy with the acquisition and refurbishment of a building on California Avenue and Easton Drive.

In recent years, complaints regarding excessive use of force, racial profiling, harassment, and response delays have been registered by criminals, suspects, witnesses, and affected family members.

In March 2001, Tony Eddington and Robert Johnson were stopped in the city of Bakersfield for a traffic violation and ordered to strip for a roadside search.

The BPD settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and have since installed a permanent policy detailing rules on when officers may conduct strip searches in the field.

The BPD had resisted the concept for several years as other California agencies were introducing polygraphs into their background investigations of law enforcement new hires.

This procedure allowed Officers to focus on preventing crimes by proactively patrolling their beats instead of writing insurance reports.

[25] In December 2015, the BPD featured as the subject of an article in United Kingdom's The Guardian newspaper, entitled "The County: The story of America's deadliest police".

This design, common in the Central Valley, is based on the 1923 Series 5 badge of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Standard uniform equipment consists of Bianchi AccuMold Elite duty gear with a Safariland Model 6355 Belt Drop, Level III Retention holster, First Defense MK-4 Large Duty Size pepper spray, X-26P TASER electronic less lethal weapon, Diamondwood straight stick baton, and two sets of Peerless chain link handcuffs.

The BPD Special Enforcement Unit uses most of the same uniforms and equipment as stated above, but are also allowed civilian clothing for undercover operations.

Coyote tan Ops-Core brand FAST ballistic helmets are worn during operations along with 3M Peltor COMTAC III tactical communication headsets.

The Glock model G26 Gen 4 9mm subcompact handgun is authorized as secondary carry duty weapon for plain clothes detectives, lieutenants, captains and all chiefs.

It is department standard for all duty weapons, excluding the Model 43, to have pistol mounted tactical lights of either Surefire or Streamlight manufacture.

Patrol officers of the BPD are given the option of carrying either a Remington Model 870 12-gauge shotgun or a Colt AR-15 5.56 mm Government carbine as a vehicle stationed arm.

The BPD SWAT team uses suppressed versions of both the Colt model LE6933 M-4 Commando and model LE6921 M4 Carbine in 5.56 mm suppressed, using either Trijicon RX30-14 Reflex and TA01NSN ACOG sights, Aimpoint CompM4S, or EOTech holographic weapon sights, and SureFire tactical weapon lights, with one weapon issued with an M203 40 mm grenade launcher for less-lethal ordnance, Benelli M4 Tactical Entry 12-gauge semi-auto shotgun with ghost ring sights and SureFire handle mounted tactical lights, a Remington model 870 12-gauge pump shotgun for entry\less-lethal ordnance and a Penn Arms L8-40 fixed stock 40mm multi-launcher Riot gun firing rubber, wood, or riot-control agents.

All BPD cruisers are equipped with Microsoft Windows based mobile data terminals and Motorola console communication radios.

The program known as COPLINK is connected to major law enforcement databases around the state of California to compile data on possible suspect information.

The BPD Traffic unit operates four Harley Davidson Electra Glide-Police and one BMW R1200RT-P motorcycles in standard black and white configuration with Motorola communication radios, Blue Check handheld fingerprint scanners, and E-cite citation devices.

Traffic enforcement also uses standard patrol cruisers with hand held Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) units.

The BPD Investigations Bureau and BPD Special Operations Unit uses Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors and Ford Taurus Police Interceptor models in civilian color schemes equipped with Microsoft Windows based mobile data terminals with the Coplink system, Blue Check handheld fingerprint scanners, Motorola communication radios and dash mounted emergency lights, as well as numerous civilian vehicles for clandestine operations.

The BPD Police Service Technicians operate Ford F-150 and Dodge Dakota pickups in all white configuration with department logos.

Both the BPD and the KCSO commanded the Kern Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy, located on Norris Road.

The "BPDInsider" is a monthly updated website that provides topics of interest and question that can be answered about the Bakersfield Police Department.

The Bakersfield Police Activities League maintains a website dedicated to their efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency by providing skills through education, athletics and opportunities to at risk youth.

A fourth season episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, entitled "Dead Ringer", featured a secondary murder plot involving a female Bakersfield Police detective as a possible suspect.

"Cop Rods" by Mattel featured a tail dragger hotrod decorated in the Bakersfield Police department style.