Police News and Events

Want a recipe for good teamwork when solving a crime? Here it is:

Very suspicious activity
One observant neighbor calling 911
Two thieves with a dash of greed
Regular sized handcart
Single getaway car
Four nightshift officers, one with a K-9 sidekick
One sergeant
A load of great police work

Stir all that up and you get two well-deserved burglars going to jail, all stolen property recovered, huge kudos the alert neighbor, a very thankful owner of the stolen/recovered property, and a nightshift who deserves a pat on the back and some praise.

Early Wednesday morning a resident saw two men with their car parked all askew in front of a neighbor’s house as they loaded items with an orange hand truck. After calling 9-1-1, he saw the men driving away with an orange box on top of the car. Officers got into the area and noted the orange hand truck just left sitting all alone in the cul-de-sac. An open garage was soon located, and the owner confirmed property (including a generator in an orange/red box) was stolen, among other things.
The Sergeant soon found the vehicle in the area which matched the description, minus the red box on the roof, but occupied by two males. A traffic stop was done where the officers talked to the two fellas, who were sweating profusely and smoking cigarettes non-stop. They told a bit of a story (going to the store to buy cigarettes…..(”running out”) which did not add up, and they forgot the stolen property left in plain sight in the backseat…..ooops!

The two fellas confessed to their crimes and told the officers where the generator was. It was collected and returned to the owner unscathed. The car was impounded for a search warrant and the fellas booked into jail for burglary and theft. Given the circumstances on how they were caught, it is likely they were stopped on their way back to steal more things from the garage.

Excellent teamwork and our nightshift officers are very thankful for the alert neighbor who took the time and care to call in suspicious activity which was key to catching the burglars. 👊👏🙌 ... See more

Distracted Driving - Together We Get There

Dear Bellingham Drivers,

Our exceptionally well-trained traffic division is currently out conducting a distracted driving emphasis in the north end of Bellingham. They will be out there until 4 this afternoon and want you to know that focused driving is safe driving, and they will be on hand to ensure you have a clear understanding of that that means.

Why are we mentioning this important fact? Because the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Target Zero are calling for a refocus on distracted driving, as Washington experienced increases in distracted driving in 2020, according to their recent press release.

Some hints from https://togetherwegetthere.com/distracted-driving:

Set it and forget it: Turn your phone off, set it to do not disturb, or put it in airplane mode.

Out of reach, out of mind: Put your phone physically out of reach, like in the glove box, backseat, or trunk – or give it to a passenger.

Plan ahead: Schedule 10 minutes before you hit the road to take care of things that could distract you like phone calls, eating, or setting up navigation or music for your drive.

If you read all the way down here, you get to find out that we will be out there again on Monday, April 12 from 10a-4p.

Sincerely,

BPD

#togetherwegethere ... See more

90% of Washington drivers avoid distractions while driving. But until we get to 100%, our roads aren’t as safe as they could be.

Photos from Bellingham Police Department's post

Not much gets by Chief Flo Simon, so to pull off a presentation of an award to her AND keep it a secret is quite the accomplishment. We are happy to announce we managed just that this morning.

BPD Officer and US Army Reserve 2nd Lieutenant James Aspessi nominated Chief Simon for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award and she was selected to receive it.

John Natterstad of ESGR and Officer James Aspessi presented Chief Simon with a plaque during a shift briefing this morning. Officer Aspessi thanked Chief Simon for her support of his military service, which required him to be on an extended absence for training purposes earlier this year. He is appreciative of her willingness to be flexible and accommodate his service to the USAR.

Mr. Natterstad shared the award was in recognition of Chief Simon's support of her employees and placing such value on their military service. According to USGR, their goal is to "support employers who share their most valuable resource, their employees, with our great Nation thereby ensuring our national security."

Chief Simon was humbled by the recognition and said "as my father served for many years in the Army, I am proud to support those who still serve today."

Congratulations, Chief Simon!

Thank you for your ongoing service to Bellingham and our Nation, Officer and 2nd Lt Aspessi. ... See more