Bellingham secures nearly $4 million for expanding police staff, technology
Bellingham police will be getting nearly $4 million over the next two years to hire new officers, buy modern equipment and train under a nationally known police accountability expert as part of a measure designed to fund public safety programs statewide.
City Council members unanimously accepted the $3.7 million grant Monday night from the state Criminal Justice Training Commission. The Legislature budgeted $100 million last year through its Local Law Enforcement Grant program as part of a request from Gov. Bob Ferguson. It’s the same law that allowed the City Council to enact a one-tenth of 1% sales tax for public safety efforts last fall.
Councilman Dan Hammill was absent and Councilwoman Lisa Anderson abstained because she is on the board of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County, which also received funds under the grant.
Bellingham Police Department Deputy Chief Ty Elmendorf told the council the grant will allow the city to unfreeze three police officer positions and buy advanced equipment such as drones, dashboard-mounted cameras and “grappler” devices that snare the wheel of a fleeing car, forcing it to stop.
Additional grant funds earmark nearly $700,000 for the unarmed Alternative Response Team and $100,00 for DVSAS. The city will also hire a warrant officer to do field work and hire a civilian records clerk to staff the police station lobby during business hours on weekdays.
“There’s a tremendous amount of excitement from our officers for this grant, and hopefully from the community,” Elemendorf said during an afternoon committee session. “If you recall, (the Alternative Response Team) lost about $200,000 of their funding, and I’m really proud that the Bellingham Police Department recognizes the work that they do and are able to supplant their money to keep that program going, as they’re essential in our work.”
Bellingham is among the first cities in Washington and one of only nine agencies statewide to receive funds under the program, a Criminal Justice Training Commission spokesman told The Bellingham Herald.
New drones will allow the city to start a “drone as first responder” program, add dash cams for evidence collection and officer accountability, and install grappler devices, Elmendorf said. Those programs will cost about $1 million together, according to the grant funding agreement.
Training, made possible with grant funds, will include 12 two-hour sessions with risk-management instructor Gordon Graham, Elmendorf said.
“He’s a renowned trainer in law enforcement,” Elmendorf said. “Early on in my career I benefitted from Gordon Graham’s training and I remember his commitment to risk management in policing. ‘If it’s predictable it’s preventable’ is something I remembered from 1995 and hearing him speak. It will be really good to have our young officers hear what he has to say (about) risk management and policing.”
