Racism is a plague that destroys and tears apart communities – all communities. Racism is not limited to a single segment of the population, but there can be no doubt that communities of color have suffered greatly from the destructive nature of systems that were developed through the conscious or unconscious biases that accompany racism – and we need to fix it now!
The City of Bellevue has worked very hard to live its mantra: “Bellevue welcomes the world; Diversity is our strength.” With this in mind, the men and women of the Bellevue Police Department fully understand their ethical responsibility and moral obligation to serve all communities with compassion, understanding and humanity. Respect, Integrity, Accountability, and Service are not just hollow words that appear in our value statement; rather, these are values that we live everyday as we interact with our very diverse community.
During my tenure as Chief of Police, the BPD has worked very hard to build bridges based in trust into all communities. Whether it is through the creation of 6 Advisory Councils to the Chief (councils based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc), increasing diversity within its ranks, strong partnerships with community activist groups, encouraging officers to engage in non-enforcement interactions with adults and kids, or increasing training for employees to confront their own implicit biases; the BPD continues to challenge its practices, policies, and processes to ensure we remain closely connected and aligned with the Bellevue community specifically, and the larger public as a whole.
The nation is experiencing many challenges today, but I am hopeful that these difficulties will lead to productive discussions which result in a stronger and more inclusive United States of America. I know we have the strength to confront the issues of our time and emerge stronger than before.
