The Bellevue Police Department has released it’s annual report for 2017, highlighting numerous accomplishments and achievements by the department and its’ employees.

The Department has produced an annual report each year since Bellevue was incorporated in 1953.

Some of the notable accomplishments for 2017 include:

• The city witnessed a significant decrease in residential burglaries (down 16 percent) as well as motor vehicle prowls (down 13 percent). Coordination between the patrol operations and investigations sections, as well as extensive work by our special operations group, led to the identification and arrest of a number of suspects involved in these types of crimes.

• The department hired 24 new employees in 2017, despite the current national challenges related to recruitment and hiring. In November, the Police Department selected a marketing firm to manage a comprehensive recruiting and hiring ad campaign, including a standalone website, online ads, and search engine optimization. The campaign launched in early 2018.

• The Police Department launched CompStat in May. CompStat is an intelligence-led model for policing that was pioneered by the New York City Police Department. The model uses data to identify crime trends and direct police resources to the areas where they can make the biggest impact on crime, taking into consideration the agency’s limited resources.

• The total number of reported traffic collisions and injury collisions are down to five-year lows, due in part to proactive enforcement by the Bellevue Police traffic unit.

The City of Bellevue continues to enjoy one of the lowest crime rates for a community of its size, due in large part to the close relationship between the Police Department and the Bellevue community, as well as the diligent work of the men and women of the Bellevue Police Department. The 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.