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BPD Weekly Update
We don't just run around with lights and sirens
Last week Officer Spencer Berntsen, on his own initiative, took the opportunity to read to Ms. Francine Albert's second grade class at Naval Avenue Elementary School. It was a wonderful example of a police officer serving his community in a manner other than traditional police work. My guess is that this will have a long-lasting impact on our future leaders.



Reminds me of a Semisonic song from the 90's

Closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world.
Closing time, turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.
Closing time, one last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.

That last line is what a homeowner on the east side told a guy who was trying to nestle down in his garage for the night. The resident heard a noise and went out into his attached garage to investigate. He found Mr. Drunk Drunkerson bedding down in between his Buick and his beer fridge. He told the guy to, "Get lost," and the guy left through the main door into the back yard, jumped a fence, and split. Officer Avery scooped up the weary vagabond down the street and he was booked into jail for burglary. [Sgt. J. Schaefer]

I'm trippin man!
A man called 9-1-1 because his girlfriend was tripping on acid, naked and acting strange. First, raise your hand if you've handled an LSD case before. Bueller...Bueller...Bueller? Second, where the heck do you get it? Apparently, the man ordered it online. Medics were summoned, and she was transported to Harrison Medical Center. The remaining LSD was seized and placed into evidence for lab analysis. A report has been forwarded to the Special Operations Group.

In other naked news
One of our frequent flyers was running around senseless down by 6th Street and Park Avenue. When officers arrived, the suspect ran right past them as they offered to assist her. She ran out into the street without regard for passing cars and was deemed a danger to herself and others. What really captured law enforcement's attention was when she twice stopped running and pulled her pants down and popped a squat. She was detained and taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

Once...twice...three times a felon
Officers were called to a local business for a report of loiterers in the parking lot. Officer Johnny Rivera arrived and spotted them. The male half of the duo walked away and dropped a dope pipe on the ground as he left. Officer Rivera ordered him to stop, but the guy took off running. He was intercepted by Officer Jeff Inklebarger and detained. Come to find out, the companion of the guy had a no contact order against him which is probably why he ran. Unfortunately for him, he already has two order violation convictions, making this arrest a felony. Good for the victim and society, not so much for him.

Neighborhood brawl 
All hands on deck was dispatched to the 1200 block of Gregory Way for a free-for-all in the street between neighbors. BPD arrived to find several people scattered all over the place. It took four officers to interview all of the participants. Basically, there was a verbal dispute between neighbors at an apartment building on one side of the street which spilled out into the road. A guy across the street confronted the group and told them to "shut'er down" and then everyone started swinging. There were punches thrown along with a walking cane. Some sort of stick also entered the fracas. In the end, one guy went to the hospital because he aggravated a prior injury and BPD dropped back ten yards and punted because we couldn't determine who the primary aggressor was. You may be surprised to learn that alcohol and a cheating wife were factors in the melee.

Kudos to Corporal Switzer
Corporal Jake Switzer single-handedly embraced the task of organizing our upcoming push to verify addresses of all Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) in our City. Over the next several weeks, each patrol officer will contact between 7 to 10 RSO's to complete the verification. This is not the kind of job Corporal Switzer dreamed about when he decided to become a police officer. However, his tremendous effort is appreciated and needs to be recognized. Great job, Corporal Switzer! [Sgt. T. Byers]

Serving our residents on Gregory Way
Officer Dana Clevenger responded to the 1200 block of Gregory Way. Once he arrived, he confirmed a resident of unincorporated Kitsap County failed to realize a citizen has the right to access a City street from their own driveway. The problem was quickly resolved by Chico Towing. The pristine 2015 Toyota 4runner was delivered to a new parking stall at the Chico Towning impound yard. Hopefully in the future, the vehicle's owner will extend more courtesy to those who live next to the shipyard. [Sgt. T. Byers]

Not only nope...but you can't have that
While patrolling near a well-known narcotics residence with frequent traffic at all hours of the day and night, Officer Trevor Donnelly spotted two people duck away from him. One of the subjects, who claimed to "working on a car" as opposed to hiding behind it, provided a false name with various spellings. Some officers might have chalked up the man's confusion about his own name to sleep deprivation. Not Officer Donnelly, who suspected he may be lying. Turns out, the subject had an outstanding felony warrant. He was taken into custody. Unfortunately for him, he was in possession of a sweet Benchmade automatic opening knife. The knife was illegal, which Corporal Steven Polonsky conservatively valued it at $400. In case anyone is missing one, it's now in evidence.

Stolen Car Magnet
Before the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office put out a notice to other agencies about a stolen car, Officer Dave Hughes located it on the Charleston Beach Road. The lone occupant appeared to be sleeping; this allowed additional officers to respond and put spike strips under the tires. Upon contact, the occupant was not immediately cooperative, and began reaching between the seats. Officer Ross Guiney, fresh out of Defensive Tactics Master Instructor training, utilized a fancy control technique. The officer was able to take the subject safely to the ground and then take him into custody. Turns out he was reaching for a cell phone. Why is it always a cell phone? Awesome job by everyone. [Sgt. T. Byers]

Recovered Stolen (bicycle) and Shortest Foot Pursuit Ever
Officer Hughes' recovery of a brand new $30,000 Nissan Rogue was impressive, but I'm not sure it holds a candle to the later recovery of a 1994 Trek Singletrack 930 valued at $4.75. It's a classic. The suspect riding the bike provided various accounts of how he obtained it and provided a false name which turned out to be his father's. Aside from the suspect being significantly younger than his dad, suspicions were also raised when he could not remember his father's birthday. Realizing he was in trouble, and mistakenly believing he had a warrant, the suspect took off in a full sprint. Officers gave chase. Although they need not have bothered, the suspect immediately tripped over himself and fell. Not surprisingly, he was found in possession of methamphetamine and needles. He was booked into the jail on several charges. The thankful owner of the bike later recovered his sweet ride. [Sgt. T. Byers]

Bank Robbery?
A dispatch of a bank robbery involving a car full of assailants with guns gets a big police response. Unfortunately, something was lost in translation because, at best, this was a bizarre robbery in which a cell phone charger was taken. The victim reported he was followed by an older model white Nissan pickup filled with scary looking people. Three of the subjects approached the victim, two brandishing handguns, and demanded to know what was in a bag he was carrying. Spoiler alert, it was only clothing. The suspects then demanded his cell phone charger. That makes sense, right? That way, if the victim's phone was dead, he wouldn't be able to charge it to call the police. An intensive search was initiated, but the suspects were not found. [Sergeant Todd Byers]

About that driver's license...
The 17-year-old driver of a Ford F150 was driving more than the posted speed limit. He also attempted to pass vehicles while traveling east on Kitsap Way. While weaving in and out of slower traffic, he collided with a sedan driven by a 60-year-old woman. After the impact, his vehicle veered to the right and failed to safely park at a nearby insurance office. Fortunately, the business was closed at the time of the secondary impact. The Ford jumped the curb, traveled over the sidewalk, and penetrated the non-impact resistant store window. Normal traffic patterns on Kitsap Way were interrupted for the next several hours. The connected businesses were evacuated until structural engineers could determine if it was safe to return. The driver of the sedan was treated on scene and then transported for further evaluation of an injury to her arm sustained on impact. Charges were forwarded for vehicular assault and traffic soon returned to normal.

On a related note: Nothing gives a supervisor more confidence than, when amid a complicated collision scene, realizing BPD has two of the most excellent Traffic Officers available and in service. Thank you Officer Sara Felty and Officer Forbragd for stepping up and taking charge! [Sergeant Todd Byers]

Suspicious Dog Death Investigation 
You can file this under "Social Media is Not a Trusted Source of Accurate Information." Officer Joe Corey investigated the passing of an 8-year-old Chihuahua. A social media post reported that a dog had been shot in the head and abandoned on the street. We take this sort of thing seriously and a follow up investigation was in order. After some inquiry, Officer Corey learned that the dog, who had a history of escapes and free-wheeling jaunts throughout his neighborhood, failed to negotiate a street crossing and was struck by a car. Additionally, the dog had been examined by a local coroner, who ruled 'nothing appeared suspicious'. [Sergeant Todd Byers]

Felony Assault... 
Officer Ross Guiney responded to the 1500 block of 8th Street for a report of an assault involving a knife. An intoxicated female had made stabbing motions with a knife to her husband, threatened to "end him", and then punched him in the face when he called the police. The woman left the residence on foot. KCSO Deputy Aaron Baker assisted with a K9 track which lasted several hours. Apparently, the woman was walking in circles in the area. It was not until containment that Deputy Baker and his dog located her hunkered down in the yard of a nearby church. It is strongly suspected that alcohol was a contributing factor to this case. [Sgt. T. Byers]

World's Worst Thief
Officer Trevor Donnelly was given a gift. Not a monetary or tangible gift, but a gift nonetheless. Cencom advised him of a theft from Wilco. The thief entered the property and stole a jacket. Not a new jacket. Not even a nice jacket. No, it was a warehouse safety jacket. An orange warehouse safety jacket with "Wilco" written on it. Officer Donnelly's gift came wrapped in a security video showing the suspect riding a bicycle. Not just any bike, but a low rider bike. A customized low rider bike. So, a theft with a suspect and a video of the theft. A "be on (the) look-out," or BOLO, was broadcasted. Soon a sharp-eyed deputy spotted a suspect wearing an orange Wilco jacket. The suspect was also riding a special bicycle. The subject was identified as one of our "usual suspects."

Jim Burchett, Chief
Bremerton Police Department
1025 Burwell Street
Bremerton, WA 98337

360-473-5224
Fax: 360-473-5890
Assistant: Barbara Forbes
November 21, 2018
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Chief  Jim Burchett

Captain Randy Plumb
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Captain Tom Wolfe
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Lieutenant Kevin Crane
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Lieutenant Mike Davis
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Lieutenant Aaron Elton
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Headquarters
1025 Burwell Street
Bremerton, WA 98337
(360) 473-5220
 www.BremertonWA.gov

BPD Staff Directory
OFFICERS
Ryan Avery
Kasey Barnes-Trask
Spencer Berntsen
Jason Butler
Dana Clevenger
Joseph Corey
Jennifer Corn
Kenny Davis
Cory Ditmer
Trevor Donnelly
Derek Ejde
Jordan Ejde
Christopher Faidley
Sara Felty
Jared France
Steven Forbragd
Martin Garland
Alexander George
Brandon Greenhill
Ross Guiney
David Hughes
Jeffrey Inklebarger
Kent Mayfield
Allan McComas
Michael Nelson
William Prouse
Johnny Rivera
Frank Shaw
David Shohradov
Matthew Thuring
PROFESSIONAL STAFF
David Boynton
Rena Brown
Tom Danaher
Barbara Forbes
Donna Goodwin
Marie Hansen
Dennis Hughes
Elena Rinonos
Marixa Scott
Joseph Sexton
Ian Sipple
Samantha Switzer
Kiarra Root
Debra Williams
CORPORAL
Beau Ayers
Todd Byers
Bryan Hall
Steven Polonsky
Rodney Rauback
Matthew Strombach
Jacob Switzer
Jason Vertefeuille
  SERGEANTS
Timothy Garrity
Ryan Heffernan
Kelly Meade 
Billy Renfro
Dahle Roessel
Keith Sargent
Jeff Schaefer
  LIEUTENANTS
Kevin Crane
Michael Davis 
Aaron Elton
  CAPTAINS
Randy Plumb
Tom Wolfe
CHIEF
James Burchett