• Header Image
    Police Chief Steve Mylett speaks at a rally following protests.

    Following the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, people across the nation and here locally protested the continued reality of systemic racism. Mayor Lynne Robinson, with the support of the City Council, pledged to review police use of force in Bellevue to identify whether any reforms were needed. 

    The city hired an independent agency - the OIR Group - to review its police use-of-force policies and, following public outreach in the fall of 2020, OIR recommended changes to police policies in the spring of 2021. Since then, many Bellevue police policies have been changed in line with OIR's 47 recommendations. The city continues to update relevant police policies.

    Background

    In September 2020, the city hired OIR to review Bellevue’s use-of-force policies, in section 1 in the police department policy manual. 

    From October through December 2020, OIR led engagement with stakeholders and the community at large, inviting all to share experiences and expectations. OIR took feedback via calls with stakeholder groups, online survey responses, open public meetings, telephone calls, written communications and community listening sessions.

    The OIR Group completed an analysis of Bellevue use-of-force policies, with its findings and recommendations representing the core of the report issued in the spring of 2021. 

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