The Bellingham Police Department’s Command Staff consists of:
Chief Rebecca Mertzig began her career with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in 2004 and reached the rank of Lieutenant in 2020. Her experiences include patrol, special investigations, school resource officer, civil disturbance unit, Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) TAC Officer, honor guard, peer support, and first-level and middle management leadership. She both served and supervised the Office of Neighborhoods which is a co-response unit pairing deputies with social workers to encourage engagement in services. She served as the Police Chief for the City of Stanwood and the Honor Guard Commander. Chief Mertzig has 18 years of law enforcement experience and was named Deputy of the Year in 2010. Chief Mertzig has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Washington University.
Deputy Chief Jay Hart oversees the Operations Division.
Deputy Chief Jason Monson oversees the Services Division.
Lieutenant Dante Alexander oversees the Special Operations Division.
Lieutenant Brock Crawford oversees the Investigation Units.
Lieutenant Andria Fountain oversees Administrative Services.
Lieutenant Rich Holdridge oversees the Office of Professional Responsibility.
Lieutenant Claudia Murphy oversees the Patrol Division’s Blue Team and PIO duties.
Lieutenant Kyle Nelson oversees the Patrol Division’s Gold Team.
BPD Records Manager – oversees the Records Bureau.
Interim Deputy Director Justin Rasmussen oversees the What-Comm 911 Dispatch Center.
BPD Information Technology Manager Christine Paulson oversees BPD IT services.
Administrative Coordinator Renee Firos manages the many duties associated with this command staff.
Chief Mertzig and the command staff are proud of the mission statement “Committed to Community.” Bellingham is a wonderful city with a police department committed to its community, from the command staff to our newest employees.
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