Members of the Bellevue Police Department in Nebraska (BPD) investigated 55 violent crimes in 2012. This represented a nearly 10% increase between 2011 and 2012. The city also suffers from a large number of property crimes with 1,142 incidents being reported in 2012.
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Patrol officers in Bellevue often forward cases to detectives in the police department’s Support Division who then provide follow-up work on the cases. These detectives work out of one of three units:
- General Investigations Unit
- Family Crimes Unit
- Special Investigations Unit
Officers who have mastered basic patrol work can be promoted to detectives after they have gone through an interview process.
Joining the Bellevue Police Department to Become a Detective
The first step to becoming a detective with the Bellevue Police Department is to join the force. An outside firm conducts the initial screening of prospective police officers in Bellevue. Morrow & Associates can be contacted on their website or by phone at 402-330-1019.
They administer both written and physical tests several times a year. The BPD then sends an application to those who have successfully completed these tests and administers the rest of the testing process.
Meeting Basic Requirements. Although it is not mandatory, the BPD prefers that its applicants have a college degree. They do not specific a particular field, but many applicants choose to get a degrees in criminal justice or law enforcement or in human behavior fields such as sociology or even forensic psychology.
Applicants must be
- Be 21 years old by the time of academy graduation
- Not having been arrested for felonies or serious misdemeanors
Units that Make up the Bellevue PD Support Division
Detectives in Bellevue work a variety of shifts, and there is at least one detective on call at all hours. Details on the work by the three specialized investigative units are described below.
General Investigations Unit – The detectives in this unit investigate a wide variety of cases that can range from homicide to misdemeanor shoplifting. These professionals are trained in recovering evidence and regularly work crime scenes. They also work closely with officers of other law enforcement agencies in the area. Some of the detectives have received specialized training in the following areas:
- Locating stolen property
- Computer forensics and recovering digital evidence
- Conducting polygraph examinations
- Internet Crimes Against Children
Family Crimes Unit – All of these detectives assist with general investigations, but they also have specialized skills. While the detectives in this unit primarily investigate crimes against children, they also investigate the following types of cases:
- Domestic violence
- Elder Abuse
- Missing persons
- Protection order violations
- Sexual assault cases
- Stalking
Most of their cases develop from calls to the Nebraska Health and Human Services hotline.
Special Investigations Unit – The detectives in this unit investigate crimes such as the following:
- Drug related offenses
- Fugitives
- Gang activity
- Illegal gambling
- Prostitution
- Weapons offenses
Working these cases involves frequently interacting with other law enforcement agencies. For example, some of the detectives serve as Task Force Officers with the following federal agencies:
- DEA
- FBI
- U.S. Marshal Service
High-Profile Criminal Investigation in Bellevue, Nebraska
As the result of a multi-state investigation, detectives from the BPD arrested a man in October 2013 for possessing 38 counts of child pornography. The case was originally flagged by the organization Internet Crimes Against Children, but Bellevue detectives served the search warrant that provided the digital evidence that he possessed child porn.
The investigators seized and analyzed his computer, cell phones, and iPads. The man had twice traveled to Ohio to have sex with a 16 year old girl and took nude photos of her. BPD detectives recovered these images.