Bellevue welcomes new assistant police chief

The city of Bellevue has hired its first Black assistant police chief. On Monday, Chief Steve Mylett swore in Wendell Shirley after an extensive nationwide search.

"He truly set himself apart from the rest of the applications," said Chief Mylett.

While he's new to the job and the city of Bellevue, he is no stranger to law enforcement.

Shirley spent 26 years at the Santa Monica Police Department in California and said he moved to Bellevue for this job. 

"I’m all in," he said. 

He retired from the Santa Monica Police Department in California in 2019, but said after watching the protests over social justice and police reform throughout last year, he wanted to work again to help build better relationships with the community.

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"I also bring a lot of hard work, working to bridge the gap and better the relationship with communities," said Shirley.  "We know in this day and time that is a central issue with many cities and police departments."

Raised by his grandparents in Watts, California, Shirley said he saw the challenges that youth and families can face every day in their communities.

"I’m going to sit, I’m going to listen, I’m going to understand, and I’m going to share and build some credibility and respect," said Shirley.

The assistant chief will oversee the department’s operations division and said he plans on riding along with patrol officers to learn the city first-hand.

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