Page 369 - Bedford-FY23-24 Budget

Bedford Police Department

Jeff Williams
Police Chief

The Bedford Police Department provides leadership and support to all members of the public, as well as all Police personnel
through scal responsibility and modeling of the City's values. The Department is committed to strengthening and
maintaining an atmosphere of community partnership, providing transparency to the citizens, supporting continued
training and leadership development of personnel, and providing opportunities for career growth and employee retention.
The Department employs 116 full-time employees and 4 part-time employees: 81 full-time sworn and 2 part-time sworn, and
35 full-time non sworn and 2 part-time non-sworn, and is organized into ve primary Divisions: Uniformed Services, Criminal
Investigations, Community Services, Animal Control and Support Services.

Fiscal Year 2023 saw the establishment of a Directed Patrol Unit (DPU) to conduct covert operations, focusing on
problematic areas and organized criminal activity within the City. A sergeant is assigned to the unit along with three
uniformed of cers. The year also saw a refresh of the building in which a large part was original from when the building was
built in 1999. Renovations included painting of walls, replacement of carpeting, and replacement of xtures and furniture to
better address storage needs of the equipment now used by law enforcement personnel. The Bicycle Unit was also
established during the year and coincides with the patrol division. Bicycle patrols are conducted by patrol of cers as a
regular daily assignment throughout their shift. The bene t of of cers being able to access areas in the City that are not
passable with a traditional vehicle has proven invaluable. The bicycle unit deters criminal activity, allows the of cer to
approach situations without detection and provides an open approach to community engagement and interactions.

The Department participates in regionalized teams such as the Northeast Tarrant County Area SWAT Team (NETCAST), the
Mid-Cities Drug Task Force, Combined Reconstruction and Accident Specialist of Hurst-Euless-Bedford (CRASH) and
partners with the Cities of Euless and Hurst for Mental Health and Crime Victim resources. While the primary focus of the
Department is to ensure a safe environment for residents and business, several programs and services exist to address
community needs and foster partnerships with the community. Programs designed to promote positive relationships are
the Citizens Police Academy, Volunteers In Policing Service (VIPS), Police Explorers Post 2121 and the Social Media Program.
Services offered to assist the community and address challenges include the Bedford Citizen Observation Program (BCOP),
Senior Care Call Program, Safe Return Program, Santa Cops, the Safe Exchange Zone, Vacation House Watch, the fostering
program through the Animal Shelter and the Behavioral Intervention Unit.

FY 2022-2023 Highlights
Purchased a Faro 3D Scanner system through grant funding.
Maintained a clearance rate above the national average for property and persons crimes.
Held the rst Cops N Canine 5K with proceeds bene ting the Department's Benevolent Fund.
Held Police Explorers 'Boot Camp' during the summer
Hosted a basketball camp for elementary aged children
Facilitated the Junior Police Explorers Camp for youth 12–14 years of age
Established an ordinance to provide residency restrictions for certain sex offenders
Purchased ri e resistant shields for school resource of cers and front line patrol of cers through grant funding
Purchased ri e resistant vests plates through grant funding
Conducted specialized traf c detail using STEP (Selective Traf c Enforcement Program) grant funding
The dispatch center hosted students from the HEB ISD who are enrolled in the district's 911 Telecommunicator program.
Weekly visits by the students allowed them to have hands-on and personalized instruction regarding Dispatch
operations to include city geography, computer aided dispatch (CAD) software, and radio instruction. The dispatch center
has been a program partner since 1997.
Integration of the Bryx Station Alerting System into the CAD software. This alerting system provides immediate
automated dispatch alerts to the Fire and EMS stations upon created of a call for service in the CAD software, in lieu of
the dispatcher manually alerting the stations. This integration improves both dispatch and emergency response times.

City of Bedford, TX | Proposed Budget FY 2023-2024 Page 369