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The City of Bellevue, WA, offers an outstanding opportunity for a forward-thinking police leader to become an Assistant Chief.
This individual will work with the Chief of Police and a second Assistant Chief to guide the department. The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator and a have a strong desire to build trust and legitimacy by working collaboratively with the community and members of the department and all city departments.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The department has two Assistant Chief positions. One leads the Operations Bureau while the other manages the Investigative and Administrative Services Bureau.
To be successful in the position, the Assistant Chief will use the department’s Mission and Vision statements, and Guiding Principles to shape their decision-making. They will also work with the Chief of Police to fulfill the department’s goals and objectives. The Assistant Chiefs also serve as the primary advisors to the Chief of Police, formulate policy and procedures, make recommendations, and represent the department in the Chief’s absence. Typical responsibilities include directing staff, managing the bureau’s budget, developing innovative ideas, and implementing best practices in law enforcement. The Assistant Chiefs plan and organize operations and will take command during major incidents and serve as a liaison between the department and local, state, and federal agencies.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
Home to some of the world’s most innovative technology companies and businesses, Bellevue is an exceptional community with over 158,000 residents, spanning over 33 square miles centered in the heart of the Puget Sound region.
Serving as the metropolitan center for east King County, with the Cascade Mountains to the East and Seattle 10 miles to the West, Bellevue is considered Seattle’s largest suburb and has been recognized as one of the “best places to live” in the country. An economic powerhouse, the Bellevue area is a premier location with top employers including Amazon, Concur, Meta, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, Pokemon Company International, Salesforce, Smartsheet, Symetra and T-Mobile. Bellevue is ideally situated along Interstate Highways 90 and 405 and State Route 520. In 2024, Sound Transit's 2 Line light rail service opened to community members and in 2026, a connection bridge opened along I-90 between Bellevue and Seattle. This connection gives the community members the opportunity to utilize public transit from the Eastside and throughout the Puget Sound Region. With over 2,800 acres of parks and open space, Bellevue is known as a “City in a Park.” The city is also known for its environmental stewardship, award-winning park systems, and vast network of green spaces, all of which contribute to an exceptional quality of life. The Bellevue School District provides quality education to more than 20,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12 on 31 campuses. Bellevue College, with an enrollment of 27,334 students, provides higher education for students from all over the world.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
To provide a safe place to live, work, and visit through quality law enforcement practices delivered by dedicated professionals. We focus our efforts and resources to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance the quality of life for all who call Bellevue home.
The Bellevue Police Department has a professional staff of 256 budgeted employees, 206 of whom are sworn officers and 50 are professional staff. The department’s highly trained officers and professional staff utilize a combination of reactive and proactive response methods to respond to citizen needs. To achieve the goal of a safe community, the department partners with the community to identify problems early on the looks for the best solution(s). From 2024 to 2025, property crime was down 33%, violent crime was down 1%, and overall crime was reduced by 27%.
In 2025, the department responded to 67,833 calls for service and the community members filed 11,673 police reports. Chief Wendell Shirley currently leads the department, which is organized into two bureaus – Operations and Investigations and Administrative Services. Each bureau is led by an Assistant Chief. Operations are divided into two divisions: Patrol and Special Operations. The Administrative Services Bureau includes the Office of Accountability, Police Records, Personnel Services, Property and Evidence, and Investigations. The Bellevue Police Management Association (BPMA) represents Majors and Captains, while the Bellevue Police Officer Guild (BPOG) represents Police Officers and Sergeants.
The department embraces a community engagement initiative that seeks to improve upon who we will be as a department tomorrow by taking a comprehensive look at what we have done in the past and what we are doing today. The department actively engages members of the community in open, honest, and constructive dialogue, with the goal of breaking down barriers, collaborating, and enhancing communication pathways to build trust. The police department has multiple police advisory boards that work with department leadership to advise the Chief of Police. The department has been a fully accredited law enforcement agency since 2005 by the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Bellevue’s exceptional quality of life and excellent national reputation for its police department make this opening a highly desirable position. We encourage you to consider joining the city and contributing to its exceptional community.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
The position requires a strategic leader who is innovative, proactive, forward-thinking, and a team player who can make tough decisions. The “ideal” candidate for the Assistant Chief of Police position is as follows:
PRINCIPLED LEADER
The next Assistant Chief will have a well-developed executive management philosophy in addition to law enforcement expertise. Top candidates will be passionate about policing and have an open and collaborative management style. The next Assistant Chief will be knowledgeable on topics such as implicit bias, social justice, procedural justice, racism, cultural awareness, and matters specific to serving in a very diverse community.
INSPIRING COMMUNICATOR
Top candidates will have superior communication skills, a strong belief in partnerships beyond policing, and an unwavering commitment to advancing community safety. The successful candidate has a command presence that is welcoming and engaging. Top candidates have demonstrated success operating within various settings from media to community events.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDER AND MENTOR
The next Assistant Chief will be a collaborator with an infectious “can do” attitude that inspires others to accept and manage change while upholding high-performance expectations. The selected candidate will be a supportive and respectful mentor and a coach who can motivate and develop staff, seek and provide clarity, and easily develop trust through relationship building. Top candidates will also inspire confidence, credibility and trust from the community and earn the respect of both commissioned and non-commissioned personnel.
EXPERIENCED POLICE EXECUTIVE
The most competitive candidates will have a record of success leading a division or bureau in a police agency where they had the opportunity to provide strong leadership, exceptional community service and engagement, innovation in police technology, and strong budgetary management skills. The strongest candidates will have experience negotiating with bargaining units and have a proven track record of managing difficult disciplinary issues and will possess strong ethics that are aligned with the City’s values.
EDUCATION
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in criminal justice, business, public administration, or related field augmented by graduate studies is highly desirable. An executive or management certification is preferred.
EXPERIENCE
The most competitive candidates for the Assistant Chief position will possess at least three years of progressively responsible experience as a police captain or major. Candidates must have a track record of working effectively in an urban environment with a culturally and ethnically diverse community
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The salary for this at-will position has a pay range to $189,537 to $261,569. Starting placement within the range depends on experience and qualifications. Candidates should also be aware that the State of Washington does not impose a state income tax. Further details on Benefits | City of Bellevue.
APPLY TODAY!
This position will be considered “open” until a final selection is made. The first review of applications will occur on July 24, 2026. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply early for optimal consideration. Electronic submissions (strongly preferred) are to be sent to [email protected] and shall include a compelling cover letter, comprehensive resume and list of references. Only the most highly qualified candidates will be invited to participate in the selection process.
After the selection, an offer will follow contingent on the successful completion of a detailed law enforcement background investigation and other City hiring requirements. Ideally, the new Assistant Chief will join the City of Bellevue in early September 2026 or upon a mutually agreed upon date.
Confidential inquiries and questions regarding this career opportunity should be directed to:
Public Sector Search & Consulting, Inc., www.publicsectorsearch.com
Gary Peterson, (Chief of Police, ret.), President/CEO [email protected]
Office: 916.789.9990 | Mobile: (916) 622-5323
