Bellingham Police Department

Last updated
City of Bellingham Police Department
Bellingham Police Department Patch Transparent.jpg
Patch of the BPD
Bellingham Police Department Transparent Logo.jpg
Seal of the Bellingham Police Department
Bellingham Police Officer Badge New Transparent.jpg
BPD officer badge
Flag of Bellingham, Washington.svg
Municipal Flag
Common nameBellingham Police · Bellingham PD
AbbreviationBPD
MottoCommitted to Community [1]
Agency overview
Formed1904;120 years ago (1904) [2]
Annual budget$34.7 million (2021) [3]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Washington, U.S.
Whatcom County Washington Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Bellingham Highlighted.svg
Bellingham Police jurisdiction
Size30.511 square miles (79.02 km2)
Population91,482 [4]
Legal jurisdictionCity of Bellingham
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters505 Grand Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Agency executive
  • Rebecca Mertzig [5] , Chief of Police
Precincts2
Facilities
StationsBellingham Police Headquarters, and Downtown WTA Precinct
Website
Official website

The City of Bellingham Police Department, [6] more commonly known as the Bellingham Police Department and its initials BPD, is the primary law enforcement and investigation agency within the Bellingham, Washington city limits. Bellingham Police Department is the largest Police Department within Whatcom County, Washington and any other municipal agency north of the Seattle Metropolitan area. Bellingham Police Department is nationally accredited by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. [7]

Contents

History

The mugshot of the infamous American serial killer Kenneth Bianchi, known as "The Hillside Strangler," taken after his arrest in Bellingham on January 12, 1979. Kenneth Bianchi Mugshot Bellingham.jpg
The mugshot of the infamous American serial killer Kenneth Bianchi, known as "The Hillside Strangler," taken after his arrest in Bellingham on January 12, 1979.

On January 12, 1979, Bellingham Police arrested the prolific Hillside Strangler in Bellingham. [8] [9] Chief Terry Mangan was among the officers on the case: he would later serve as chief of the Spokane Police Department and work for the FBI. [10]

In 2002, a Jamaican woman named Una James came to Bellingham to search for her son, Lee Boyd Malvo, who had fallen under the influence of John Allen Muhammad. Bellingham Police alerted immigration authorities to James's presence; she and Malvo were arrested. Malvo and Muhammad would commit the Beltway sniper attacks later that year. An area immigration attorney commented that an immigrant going to the police for help and being arrested instead was common; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted that the arrest may have served to separate James and Malvo and draw Malvo closer to Muhammad. [11]

In 2008, a Bellingham Police car was stolen when an officer left it running in a parking lot while responding to a call. The car was found a half hour later with two flat tires and missing its radio microphones. [12]

In 2013, Bellingham Police attempted to break up a 500-person riot near Western Washington University after students began throwing beer bottles and other objects at idling police cars. Police used riot gear, pepper balls, smoke and flash grenades. It remains unclear what started the riot. [13] [14]

In May 2016, Bellingham Police became an acknowledged National accredited law enforcement agency by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) [7]

In May 2017, a Bellingham officer fatally shot a man after he charged the officer with a knife. The man was a suspect in a stabbing the previous year. [15]

In 2017, Officer Brooks Laughlin assaulted a man during a traffic stop. Laughlin was arrested twice in 2018 before he resigned from the force in April. In November 2018, he was convicted of three counts of second-degree assault, two counts of felony harassment, two counts of violating a no-contact order, one count of felony stalking and one count of fourth-degree assault. Court papers state that he was the third Bellingham police officer in three years to be arrested for assault. [16]

An initiative on the November 2021 ballot banned the Bellingham Police Depeartment, and the rest of the Bellingham city government, from the use of facial recognition and predictive policing technology. [17] [18]

The redesigned Bellingham Police badge, introduced in 2024, Chief of Police version New Bellingham Police Badge Transparent.jpg
The redesigned Bellingham Police badge, introduced in 2024, Chief of Police version

In 2024, the Bellingham Police Department unveiled a new badge design for future use. The new badge features the Old City Hall, now the Whatcom Museum in Present day. The previous eagle-top design was considered "generic" and could be mistaken for a counterfeit badge. This marks the fourth design change to the badge since the department's establishment in 1904, when it was housed in the Old City Hall. [19]

Responsibilities

The Bellingham Police Departments main responsibility is to deter crime, assist the local community and Provide law enforcement services to all citizens of Bellingham, Washington. [20]

BPD also works alongside the local metropolitan police force Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, as they are located in the heart of downtown Bellingham just a few doors down from the BPD headquarters. BPD officers have direct contact with WCSO staff everyday as they assist each other on traffic stops and other incidents at times, and the Sheriff's Office is responsible for county-wide corrections. [21]

The Bellingham Police Department is the main law enforcement agency of the city of Bellingham, except for the campus of the Western Washington University, which is under the responsibility of WWU Police. [22]

BPD has a number of specialty units including SWAT, bike patrol, motorcycles, "Walking the Beat", and a variety of detective units.

Additional Services

The Bellingham Police Department began their Community service officer Program in 2022 after trialing the Downtown Safety Ambassador Program previously. [23] BPD employs Community Service Officers (CSOs) to provide assistance to both the department and the public. CSOs, who are not sworn Police officers, carry out a range of tasks to aid various departments, with a focus on public safety. [24]

BPD also runs a youth Cadet Program called the Bellingham Police Explorers. The academy typically occurs at Yakima Training Center. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Bellingham is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies 21 miles (34 km) south of the U.S.–Canada border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, 52 miles (84 km) to the northwest and Seattle (90 miles to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D.C. sniper attacks</span> 2002 series of coordinated shootings in the Washington, D.C. area

The D.C. sniper attacks were a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 throughout the Washington metropolitan area, consisting of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, and preliminary shootings, that consisted of murders and robberies in several states, and lasted for six months starting in February 2002. Seven people were killed, and seven others were injured in the preliminary shootings, and ten people were killed and three others were critically wounded in the October shootings. In total, the snipers killed 17 people and wounded 10 others in a 10-month span.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Washington University</span> Public university in Bellingham, Washington, US

Western Washington University is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a private school of teaching for women founded in 1886. The university adopted its present name in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of police</span> Title given to an appointed official

A chief of police (COP) is the title given to an appointed official or an elected one in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. A chief of police may also be known as a police chief or sometimes just a chief, while some countries favour other titles such as commissioner or chief constable. A police chief is appointed by and answerable to a state or local government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Police Department</span> Municipal police department in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1838, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The BPD is also the 20th largest law enforcement agency in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia</span> Local law enforcement agency of Washington, D.C., United States

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the DC Police, and, colloquially, the DCPD, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,400 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 68 square miles (180 km2) and a population of over 700,000 people. Established on August 6, 1861, the MPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States. The MPD headquarters is at the Henry J. Daly Building, located on Indiana Avenue in Judiciary Square across the street from the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The department's mission is to "safeguard the District of Columbia and protect its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life". The MPD's regulations are compiled in title 5, chapter 1 of the District of Columbia Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Police Department</span> Municipal law enforcement agency of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering 80.9 square miles (210 km2) of land and 11.1 square miles (29 km2) of waterways. The department is sometimes referred to as the Baltimore City Police Department to distinguish it from the Baltimore County Police Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Sheriff's Office</span> Joint city-county law enforcement agency

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) is a joint city-county law enforcement agency, which has primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, United States. Duval County includes the incorporated cities of Jacksonville, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Jacksonville Beach, and Neptune Beach; the beach cities have their own police departments as well.

The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) is the public transit authority of Whatcom County in northwestern Washington, based in the city of Bellingham. It provides bus service on 31 fixed routes, including branded "GO Lines" with 15-minute frequencies on weekdays, to cities in its service area. In addition to bus service, the WTA offers paratransit service and a vanpool programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley Police Department</span> Police department serving Berkeley, California

The Berkeley Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department for the city of Berkeley, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheriffs in the United States</span> Chief of county law enforcement

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince George's County Police Department</span> Primary law enforcement agency in Prince Georges County, Maryland, U.S.

The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 900,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles (1,290 km2) of jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakersfield Police Department</span> Police department in Bakersfield, California

The Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) is the agency responsible for law enforcement within the city of Bakersfield, California, in the United States. It has over 590 officers and professional staff, covering an area of 151.2 square miles (392 km2) serving an urban population of more than 400,000. The current chief of the department, since April 2020, is Greg Terry. The department protects the city, split between two areas and six zones with two stations, the main department headquarters and the west side substation. The department administration is made up of the chief of department, two assistant chiefs, four captains and eleven lieutenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeport Police Department</span> Law enforcement agency in Connecticut, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gil Kerlikowske</span> American government official (born 1949)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellingham High School (Washington)</span> Public school

Bellingham High School is a public high school in the Bellingham School District located in Bellingham, Washington. The school serves students primarily from Whatcom, Kulshan, and Shuksan Middle Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick City Police Department (Maryland)</span>

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References

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  12. STEAD, JORDAN (2013-10-14). "Hundreds riot in Bellingham". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  13. "Hundreds of students riot near Bellingham, WA university". CBC News. 2013-10-13.
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  21. "Home | University Police | Western Washington University". police.wwu.edu.
  22. Keller, Janice (March 31, 2022). "Downtown investments continue with launch of safety ambassador program". City of Bellingham.
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