Bellevue appoints Wendell Shirley as police chief

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — Bellevue, Washington, has appointed interim police chief Wendell Shirley to lead the department. Shirley has led the department since former police chief Steve Mylett left in August. KOMO reports Shirley worked at the Santa Monica, California, Police Department for 26 years before retiring in 2019. He joined the Bellevue Police Department in March 2021 as the assistant chief. While the city has not seen a rise in violent crimes, Shirley says he will focus on “reducing crime and the fear of crime.” Bellevue is Washington’s fifth most populous city with about 150,000 residents.