The Safe Place program is a partnership between the Bellingham Police Department (BPD) and Bellingham businesses and nonprofit organizations to support victims of hate crimes.
Participating businesses display a Safe Place decal on their business window. Victims of hate crimes can enter any of these businesses and ask for help. Staff will give them a safe place to wait and call the police for them.
Requirements
The program is open to businesses, social service organizations, and government agencies that have a space open to the public. Participating businesses should have staff present on site for most of the day. Because of safety concerns, you cannot sign up your private residence.
To become a safe place business, you must agree to train current and future employees, volunteers, and staff about the following responsibilities.
If a victim of a hate crime comes into your business and asks for help, staff will:
- Call 911 immediately on the victim’s behalf.
- Provide the victim with a safe, public area within your business where they can wait for the police
- If the victim leaves before the police arrives, staff must call 911 again and update the operator with the victim’s and/or suspect’s description and direction of travel.
Safe Place application and decal request form
For additional questions, email cmurphy@cob.org.
