George Whitman, and Officers Bob Sollitto and Jack Allen), and service was 24 hours per day.

In 1972, the rank of Sergeant was eliminated as part of a motion to combine the police and fire departments.

The potential merger drew intense criticism and was eventually scrapped, but the Sergeant's position was never reinstated, and first line supervisors in the department remain lieutenants.

In 1998 the traffic division was moved under the umbrella of the patrol section, and the department also formed its honor guard that year.

Specialty assignments in Patrol include Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Bomb Squad, Crisis Response Team, Crowd Control, Crime Scene Investigators (CSI), Field Training Officers (FTO), and Honor Guard.

In spite of past staffing shortages, Bellevue residents experienced a decrease in property crimes for the fifth year in a row.

Bellevue continues to enjoy a very low crime rate compared to similarly sized cities.

Chief Steve Mylett began the program in 2015 when he saw a need for a direct point of contact for Bellevue residents or businesses with questions or concerns related to crime or police activity.

The program is designed to examine successes of the past and current policies, practices, and procedures of the Bellevue Police Department, with an eye towards making lasting improvements for the future.

The advisory councils meet regularly and discuss how to improve the delivery of services that the Bellevue Police Department provides to the community.

The councils collaborate with the department on projects and provide guidance to the Chief of Police on best practices and approaches.

BPD officers regularly partner with community organizations to serve food, distribute free groceries, and collect and deliver furniture to those in need.

Each year, officers participate in "Shop with a Cop", the Child Safety Fair, and National Night Out.

Entry level applicants are screened through NationalTestingNetwork.com, and take a reading, writing, video and physical fitness test.

Lateral officers apply through the recruiting website portal with a streamlined process that does not include a physical fitness test and only requires out of state applicants to travel once.

Testing results and veteran's preference points are used to compose civil service eligibility lists from which open positions are filled.

Civilian employees are recruited and hired through the City of Bellevue for positions in police records, data entry, the crime lab, and more.

As of June 2021, entry level officers enjoy a starting yearly salary of $77,263, plus incentives.

The Bellevue Police Department also offers excellent medical plans for employees and their family members, as well as dental and vision benefits.