This spring over 300 people gathered at dawn at the Bellevue Hilton for a unique awards and fundraising breakfast with Bellevue Police officers. The Bellevue Police Foundation’s Bold for the Blue Breakfast successfully raised $144,000 to enable the Bellevue Police Department to implement new technology and programs that don’t fit within the city budget. These early birds had a firsthand look at some of the latest in law enforcement technology and learned about what new technologies Bellevue PD wants to adopt.

The newly decorated Hilton lobby and ballroom were abuzz with hot coffee, great pastries, officers, equipment, and many leaders from the Bellevue community. Bellevue Collection topped the list of 22 sponsors as the Presenting Sponsor this year, including Asian Family Market, Accutint Bellevue, Bellevue Club Hotel, Wallace Properties, Cercano, and Baird Wealth Management.

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the motorcycle team followed by many exciting police displays and demonstrations. The Bomb Squad brought their favorite pet, Fluffy, the bomb sniffing robot dog, who patrolled the outer lobby. Not to be outdone, the K9 unit had a private suite where K9 Officer Walt and his human partner, Officer Ben Bradley, served coffee and pastries to guests. Officer Craig Hanaumi and his sparring partner gave jiu-jitsu lessons to willing participants while others were busy checking out the latest in drone technology.

During the inspiring breakfast, awards were given to BPD officer Oscar Rodriguez and BPD Professional Sarah Kasperski for outstanding service to the city. Steve Hoffmann, BPF Board Chair, received Volunteer of the Year Award. After remarks from Mayor Malakoutian, City Manager Diane Carlson and Police Chief Wendell Shirley, Bellevue City Councilmember Jared Nieuwenhuis wrapped up the morning by announcing the Foundation’s commitment to funding $100,000 towards Drone as First Responder technology. The Bellevue Police Foundation has granted over $1.7 million to the Bellevue PD for equipment, programs, and training, and over $600,000 to fallen and severely injured officers.  

If you were not able to attend this year, stay tuned for next year’s exciting breakfast event!