Bellevue Schedules 3 Public Safety Listening Sessions In October

BELLEVUE, WA — Bellevue city officials will host three online listening sessions in October, following a pledge made over the summer to reexamine police use of force policies and hear community feedback.

Here are the dates:

• Tuesday, Oct. 13, 5:30-7 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Mayor Lynne Robinson signed a public safety pledge in June, amid ongoing national protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of the George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis.

The council's pledge outlined these four steps:

1. Review police use of force policies.
2. Engage the community by including a diverse range of input, experiences and stories in the review.
3. Report the findings of the review to the community and seek feedback.
4. Reform police use of force policies.

According to city officials, Bellevue also hired an outside consultant to analyze existing policies and give recommendations on potential reforms.

Residents interested in participating in this month's sessions can register online or simply send comments to council-pledge@bellevuewa.gov.

Learn more about the public safety pledge on the city of Bellevue's website, or review the police department's existing manual.