The Bellingham City Council will take public comment Monday, Aug. 1, on a possible grant to enhance police recruitment.
The Bellingham Police Department is applying for a $60,000 Department of Justice grant to pay for recruiting efforts, including advertisements on billboards and buses, and in the media. The grant would also pay for hiring bonuses. If the grant is awarded, the department will offer $2,000 each to the first seven new hires who speak a second language other than English, Deputy Chief Don Almer said.
The Police Department has been chronically short-staffed for the past year at least, which left it unable to keep up with dramatic increases in property crimes last winter. The department eliminated its specialty units, including drug investigations, neighborhood outreach and its behavioral health officer to focus on standard patrols and investigations.
Bellingham currently has 81 officers — 32 short of a full staff. Only 13 of those positions are vacancies. The rest of the shortfall in staffing comes from officers out due to injury or training, or new hires rising through the academy.
The public hearing will take place online and will start shortly after 7 p.m. Aug. 1. Those interested in speaking are asked to register in advance at cob.org/ccsignup.
