The Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) is the agency responsible for law enforcement within the city of

Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It has over 590 officers and professional staff, covering an area of serving an urban population of more than 400,000. The current chief of the department, since April 2020, is Greg Terry. The department protects the city, split between two areas and six zones with two stations, the main department headquarters and the west side substation. The department administration is made up of the chief of department, two assistant chiefs, four captains and eleven lieutenants.Official website
/ref> The department headquarters is located at 1601 Truxtun Ave. The westside substation is located at 1301 Buena Vista Rd. The department shooting range is located on 3419 Truxtun Ave. with the K-9 training field next door to the range. The department training academy is located at 4646 California Avenue.

Mission statement

"The Bakersfield Police Department partners with our community to protect the lives and property of the people we serve."

Guiding Values

"Compassion • Accountability • Professionalism"

History

The Bakersfield Police Department traces its origin back to the incorporation of the City of

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

in 1898. On January 13, 1898, the Bakersfield City council instituted the Bakersfield City Marshal's Office with Thomas A. Baker as its first Marshal. The police department was itself incorporated on February 27, 1915, with Jacob Horace Dupes as

Chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. Robert B. Powers was hired as a motorcycle patrolman in 1928. He became chief of police in 1933, and instituted a number of reforms and on-the-job training. His first major action was during the California Agricultural Strike of 1933. From May to October 1938 a murder case consumed his time - that of Mathias H. Warren, father of

Earl Warren Earl Warren (March 19, 1891 – July 9, 1974) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States from 1953 to 1969. The Warren Court presided over a major shift in American constitution ...

who was soon to be attorney general and then governor of California, and in time, Chief Justice of the United States. In June 1939 Powers supported an initiative to get women on the police force if they were college educated and paid well. On July 3, 1941, the Bakersfield Police Department accepted its first female officer with the hiring of Mary Holman Dodge. In 1944-5 Powers was appointed to a wartime state committee on law enforcement under then-governor Earl Warren. Powers was also a strong voice in determining successive chiefs through to 1966. In 1968, the department accepted its first African-American into its ranks by the hiring of Irma Carson. In August 1973, the department established the Bomb Squad unit with one operator in order to deal with the emerging threat of explosive ordnance in the city. Today, the squad consists of five bomb detective technicians and two robots. In June 1988, the department started its K-9 unit, consisting of five officers and 5 working dogs. On February 8, 1994, the Bakersfield Police Activities League was established for at risk youth in the city. In June 1999, the department made city history with the promotion of Eric L. Mattlock as the first African-American chief of police for Bakersfield. On July 8, 2003, the Bakersfield Police Department started a School Resource Officer program by assigning a small detail to local city elementary schools. In July 2003, the BPD investigated one of

's most heinous and high-profile crimes; The Harper family murders. The killing of two adults and three children in their own home sparked international media coverage and an investigation that would cross the entire

. The BPD was able to solve the case and make an arrest of one of the victims husband,

Vincent Brothers Vincent Edward Brothers (born May 31, 1962) is an American mass murderer convicted of killing his wife, their three children and his mother-in-law. Brothers was the former vice principal of John C. Fremont Elementary School in Bakersfield, Califo ...

. On May 15, 2007, Brothers was convicted of the crime of murder in the first degree. The conviction was due to the efforts of the investigations bureau of the Bakersfield Police Department. In April 2010, the BPD promoted its first female in the departments history to the rank of Captain with the promotion of Hajir Nuridin. In 2013, BPD began the deactivation of their motorcycle traffic enforcement unit and by 2018 BPD had no motorcycle officers. The reason was the amount of injuries that were being incurred by motorcycle traffic enforcement officers who were involved in numerous traffic collisions. At the time, BPD became the largest law enforcement agency in the United States without an active Motorcycle Traffic Enforcement Unit. In 2019, BPD announced their intention to bring back motorcycle officers in a pilot program starting with the purchase of 4 Harley-Davidson motorcycles at $107,542. The announcement noted that technology and safety gear had improved and that motorcycle officers are needed to step up traffic enforcement in response to an increase in rush hour crashes. In August 2019, BPD restarted their solo police academy with the acquisition and refurbishment of a building on California Avenue and Easton Drive. Also in August 2019, BPD created a cold case sexual assault unit for investigating past crimes of sexual assault. This was formed after the department completed a mandatory audit of untested rape kits for the

California Department of Justice The California Department of Justice is a statewide investigative law enforcement agency and legal department of the California executive branch under the elected leadership of the California Attorney General (AG) which carries out complex cri ...

, in which the BPD had to submit all untested kits. This was also formed due to California's elimination of the statute of limitations on sexual assault in 2017.

Criticism

The Bakersfield Police Department has been criticized over the years for heavy-handed tactics and overuse of force. In recent years, complaints regarding excessive use of force, racial profiling, harassment, and response delays have been registered by criminals, suspects, witnesses, and affected family members. In March 2001, Tony Eddington and Robert Johnson were stopped in the city of

for a traffic violation and ordered to strip for a roadside search. The men, both African-American, contend the search was racially motivated, and sued the BPD for damages exceeding $350,000.00. The BPD settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and have since installed a permanent policy detailing rules on when officers may conduct strip searches in the field. There have been many complaints against the BPD for excessive use of force. Most notably is when there is an officer involved shooting. Many critics of the department have made the charge of shooting first, asking questions later and firing too many rounds at suspects. A federal probe of the BPD was begun in July 2003. The probe would seek information and investigate some 47 complaints against the BPD for use of force and racial profiling. In January 2008, the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

cleared the Bakersfield Police Department of any wrongdoing stemming from the complaints. On July 5, 2008, it was announced that the BPD will begin using polygraphs as a part of the hiring process to become an officer with the department. The BPD had resisted the concept for several years as other

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

agencies were introducing polygraphs into their background investigations of law enforcement new hires. The new policy will take effect in early 2009. As a result of polygraph examinations of candidates, several candidates that would have otherwise slipped through the cracks were found to be unsuitable and were separated from the hiring process. In June 2009, the BPD began on-line crime reporting for citizens. This is the mandatory way for residents of Bakersfield to report non-emergency crime. The department, in the past, had on-line crime reporting, but this was optional. The department now requires all non-emergency crimes to be reported on the department website instead of having a Police Service Technician or Police Officer respond to a report call for service. This procedure allowed Officers to focus on preventing crimes by proactively patrolling their beats instead of writing insurance reports. In December 2015, the BPD featured as the subject of an article in United Kingdom's ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper, entitled "The County: The story of America's deadliest police". In December 2016, a BPD officer shot and killed a 73-year-old man Francisco Serna when he did not take his hand out of his pocket when ordered to do so. This was stemmed from a report by a neighbor saying he was pointing a gun at her. Later it was determined that the man did not possess a gun as the neighbor had reported. Serna was in the early stages of

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

and thus caused controversy along with the family demanding a federal investigation of the shooting.

Assignments

Sworn assignments

* Administration * Auto Theft Unit * Bomb Squad * Civil Disturbance Team * Computer Forensics Unit * GHOST Unit (anti-graffiti) * Homeland Security Unit * IMPACT Unit (Homeless\Vagrant team) * Internal Affairs * Investigations * K-9 Unit * Narcotics * Patrol * Planning, Research & Training * Public Information Officer * Reserve Unit * School Resource Officer * Special Enforcement Unit (anti-gang) * SWAT * Traffic * Vice * Violent Crime Apprehension Team * Warrant/Fugitive Unit (fugitive recovery)

Non-sworn assignments

* Animal Control * Communication Center * Community Relations Unit * Crime Analysis Unit * Crime Lab * Digital Forensics Unit * Parking Enforcement * Police Service Technician * Property Room * Records and Reports

Volunteers

* Citizen Volunteer * Explorer Post * Police Chaplain * Student Intern

Vehicles and equipment

The Bakersfield Police Department employs the latest in uniforms, equipment and vehicles.

Uniforms and equipment

The badge of the department is a gold-colored metal shield surmounted by an eagle, with blue enamel panels stating the name of department, rank of the holder, and badge number. In the center is an enameled seal of the State of California. This design, common in the Central Valley, is based on the 1923 Series 5 badge of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

. The current BPD basic patrol uniform consists of 5.11 brand B Class uniform in midnight navy blue. Current department policy mandates all patrol officers, senior officers, uniformed detectives, and sergeants have sewn on cloth department badge patches and embroidered names. Lieutenants, Captains and all chiefs are still allowed metal badges and name plates. Patrol officers working foot-beat patrol or bicycle patrol are authorized to wear navy blue polo shirts with the department badge embroidered and 5.11 Tactical shorts in midnight navy during hot weather conditions. K-9 officers also wear the 5.11 brand B Class uniform with K-9 designation embroidered on the uniform above the embroidered name of the officer. This brings all department patrol officers in line with the same uniforms. All officers in uniform or working field assignments wear Second Chance Level III-A body armor. The BPD has established an alternate duty uniform for officers for training and other non-enforcement positions. This consists of a navy blue 5.11 Tactical polo shirt with embroidered department badge and name in gold, khaki 5.11 Tactical tactical pants and tan desert service boots. Cloth department badges and embroidered names are required on the polo shirts. Standard uniform equipment consists of

Bianchi Bianchi may refer to: Places *Bianchi, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy Manufacturing *Bianchi Bicycles (F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A.), an Italian manufacturer of bicycles, and former manufacturer of motorcycles and a ...

AccuMold Elite duty gear with a

Safariland Safariland, LLC is a United States-based manufacturer of personal, and other equipment focused on the law enforcement, public safety, military, and recreational markets. It was formerly a division of the United Kingdom-based defense and aerospace ...

Model 6355 Belt Drop, Level III Retention holster, First Defense MK-4 Large Duty Size pepper spray, X-26P

TASER A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...

electronic less lethal weapon, Diamondwood straight stick baton, and two sets of Peerless chain link handcuffs.

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent p ...

hand-held radios are standard carry. The BPD Special Enforcement Unit uses most of the same uniforms and equipment as stated above, but are also allowed civilian clothing for undercover operations. Raid vests are used for executing warrant searches and field assignments. The BPD Civil Disturbance Team wears black 5.11 Tactical two-piece tactical duty uniforms, Galls Upper Body Protection System foam chest protectors, Bell RS100 tactical helmets, MSA Advantage 1000 CBA/RCA gas masks, and Galls shin guards. Flex-cuffs are standard carry for riot situations. The BPD Bomb Squad wears Crye Precision MultiCam camouflage tactical response uniforms with coyote brown tactical department patches for operations involving the unit. The Bomb Squad uses the First Defense EOD Bomb Disposal Suit for its EOD operations as well as two Andros F6B

bomb disposal robot A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

s. The BPD SWAT team wears Crye Precision MultiCam camouflage tactical response uniforms with coyote brown tactical department patches, Crye Precision jumpable modular plate carriers with Level IV hard armor plates in MultiCam camouflage, Avon FM53 protective masks, and Safariland 6004 tactical holsters. Coyote tan Ops-Core brand FAST ballistic helmets are worn during operations along with 3M Peltor COMTAC III tactical communication headsets.

Weapons

All police officers of the Bakersfield Police Department are issued a department standard duty weapon. The current issue weapon is the officer's choice through initial qualification of either the

Glock Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...

model G17 Gen 4 9mm full size semi-automatic pistol, or the

model G19 Gen 4 9mm compact semi-automatic pistol. The

model G26 Gen 4 9mm subcompact handgun is authorized as secondary carry duty weapon for plain clothes detectives, lieutenants, captains and all chiefs. It is department standard for all duty weapons, excluding the Model 43, to have pistol mounted tactical lights of either

Surefire SureFire, LLC. is an American company headquartered in Fountain Valley, California. Their main products are flashlights, weapon-mounted lights, headlamps, and laser sights. In addition, Surefire produces knives, sound suppressors, earplugs, Pic ...

or Streamlight manufacture. Patrol officers of the BPD are given the option of carrying either a

Remington Model 870 The Remington Model 870 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for shooting sports, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide. Dev ...

12-gauge shotgun or a

Colt AR-15 The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently ...

5.56 mm Government carbine as a vehicle stationed arm. The BPD Civil Disturbance Team uses a variety of non-lethal riot control weapons. These include Penn Arms L8-40 fixed stock 40mm multi-launcher

Riot gun In current usage, a riot gun or less-lethal launcher is a type of firearm used to fire "non-lethal" or "less-lethal" ammunition for the purpose of suppressing riots or apprehending suspects with minimal harm or risk. Less-lethal launchers may ...

firing rubber, wood, or riot-control agents, Precision Ordnance Products 'Stingball' grenades, Defense Technology 'Han-Ball' and 'Tripple Chaser' CS grenades, 12 gauge bean-bag, rubber and wood rounds fired from Remington 870 shotguns, X-26

taser A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...

s, and Monadnock polycarbonate riot batons, and 48" x 24" x 1/8" concave plastic riot shields. The BPD SWAT team uses suppressed versions of both the Colt model LE6933 M-4 Commando and model LE6921 M-4 Carbine in 5.56 mm suppressed, using either

Trijicon Trijicon, Inc. ( ) is an American manufacturing company based in Wixom, Michigan that designs and distributes sighting devices for firearms including pistols, rifles and shotguns. Trijicon specializes in self-luminous optics and night sights, ...

RX30-14 Reflex and TA01NSN ACOG sights,

Aimpoint Aimpoint AB is a Swedish optics company based in Malmö, Sweden that manufactures red dot sights. Aimpoint is a contractor for the United States military and supplies the Aimpoint CompM2. Aimpoint products are used by various armed forces ...

CompM4S, or

EOTech EOTECH is an American company that designs, manufactures, and markets electro-optic and night vision products and systems. The company is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan. They produce holographic weapon sights for small arms that have bee ...

holographic weapon sights, and

SureFire SureFire, LLC. is an American company headquartered in Fountain Valley, California. Their main products are flashlights, weapon-mounted lights, headlamps, and laser sights. In addition, Surefire produces knives, sound suppressors, earplugs, Pic ...

tactical weapon lights, with one weapon issued with an M203 40 mm grenade launcher for less-lethal ordnance,

Benelli M4 The Benelli M4 is a semi-automatic shotgun produced by Italian firearm manufacturer Benelli Armi SpA, and the last of the "Benelli Super 90" series of semi-automatic shotguns. The M4 uses a proprietary action design called the "auto-regulating ...

Tactical Entry 12-gauge semi-auto shotgun with ghost ring sights and SureFire handle mounted tactical lights, a Remington model 870 12-gauge pump shotgun for entry\less-lethal ordnance and a Penn Arms L8-40 fixed stock 40mm multi-launcher

firing rubber, wood, or riot-control agents. SWAT snipers use customized Remington model 700 Police 7.62 mm bolt-action rifles with

Leupold Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is an American manufacturer of telescopic sights, red dot sights, binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and eyewear located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. The company, started in 1907, is on its fifth genera ...

scopes. Entry teams use Defense Technology No.25 distraction devices as well as 'Han-Ball', 'Tripple Chaser' and 40mm launched CS grenades.

Bakersfield Police Department K-9 crusier

Vehicles

The Bakersfield Police Department operates

Ford Taurus Police Interceptor The sixth generation of the Ford Taurus is the final generation of the model range manufactured by Ford (in markets outside of China and the Middle East). Introduced for the 2010 model year, the sixth-generation Taurus is the second generation o ...

s as well as the

Ford Police Interceptor Utility The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...

as standard patrol vehicles. The cruisers are in the standard black and white configuration with Code 3 Defender LED Lightbars. Their standard siren system is the Code 3 Z3. All BPD cruisers are equipped with

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

based mobile data terminals and

console communication radios. Currently, the department is now adding new equipment that will better aide officers during operations and field investigations. The new equipment is to include vehicle licence plate scanners that can search statewide databases on the spot for DUI offenses and stolen vehicles. Cruisers also carry handheld fingerprint scanners known as Blue Check for instantaneous field identification. Also, the BPD is in the use of in-car lineups software package for the mobile data terminals. The program known as COPLINK is connected to major law enforcement databases around the state of California to compile data on possible suspect information. E-cite citation devices are also carried aboard BPD cruisers. The BPD K-9 unit uses both the

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...

Police Utility and the

Chevrolet Tahoe The Chevrolet Tahoe, and its badge engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their 'Blazer' and 'Jimmy ...

as patrol vehicles. The BPD Traffic unit operates four Harley Davidson Electra Glide-Police and one

BMW R1200RT-P The BMW R1200RT is a touring or sport touring motorcycle that was manufactured from 2005 to 2019 by BMW Motorrad to replace the R1150RT model. It features a flat-twin engine with a six-speed gearbox and shaft drive. History Previous RT models, ...

motorcycles in standard black and white configuration with

communication radios, Blue Check handheld fingerprint scanners, and E-cite citation devices. Traffic enforcement also uses standard patrol cruisers with hand held Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) units. The BPD Investigations Bureau and BPD Special Operations Unit uses

Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (colloquially referred to as the CVPI, P71, or P7B) is a four-door, body-on-frame sedan that was manufactured by Ford from 1992 to 2011. It is the police car version of the Ford Crown Victoria, and wa ...

s and

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

Police Interceptor models in civilian color schemes equipped with

based mobile data terminals with the Coplink system, Blue Check handheld fingerprint scanners,

communication radios and dash mounted emergency lights, as well as numerous civilian vehicles for clandestine operations. The BPD Police Service Technicians operate

Ford F-150 The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford since the 1948 model year. Slotted above the Ford Ranger in the Ford truck model range, the F-Series is marketed as a range of full-sized pickup trucks. ...

and

Dodge Dakota The Dodge Dakota, known as the Ram Dakota for the final two years of production, is a mid-size pickup truck from Chrysler's Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) division. The first Dakota was introduced in late 1986 as a 1987 model. From its introduction th ...

pickups in all white configuration with department logos. All pickups come equipped with

console communication radios as well as various traffic control tools and devices. The BPD Parking Enforcement Unit operates

Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The ...

sedans in all white configurations with department logos and th
Westward
Go4 Parking Enforcement Vehicle. All sedans come equipped with

console communication radios as well as various parking enforcement tools and devices. The BPD also operates various specialized vehicles for different operations. These include a

for Commercial Vehicle Enforcement operations, two

Yamaha Rhino The Yamaha Rhino is an off-road vehicle produced by Yamaha Motor Company from 2004 to 2012. It was designed for a driver and passenger with two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. Built at Yamaha’s factory in Newnan, Georgia, it is classified ...

4x4 utility vehicles for off-road and river patrol use, two

F-150 The Ford F-Series is a series of light-duty trucks marketed and manufactured by Ford since the 1948 model year. Slotted above the Ford Ranger in the Ford truck model range, the F-Series is marketed as a range of full-sized pickup trucks. ...

4x4 pickups for off-road and river patrol use,

Ford Econoline The Ford E-Series (also known as the Ford Econoline or Ford Club Wagon) is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for model year 1961 as the replacement for the Ford F-Series panel van, the E-Se ...

and

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

vans for crime scene, crime prevention, prisoner transport use, one

E-450 RV for use by the D.U.I. Task Force and D.U.I. saturation operations, one North Star International DuraStar Custom truck for use by the Bomb Squad, one Freightliner LDV mobile command post for use in emergency operations, one specialized North Star

Ford F-650 Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

modular truck for use by the SWAT team, and one

Lenco BearCat The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled SWAT vehicle designed for military and law enforcement use. It is in use by several military forces and law enforcement agencies around the world. History Since 1981 the Massachusetts-based Lenco Industries, known ...

armored rescue vehicle for use in emergency recovery and SWAT operations. All vehicles are adorned with the Bakersfield Police name and logo.

Academy and training

The Bakersfield Police Department has had a variety of training academies throughout its existence. While most of the academies were run by the BPD with the goal of training solely BPD officers, there has been two occasions when the department, for fiscal reasons, joined with another agency to fund and run a joint academy to train multiple agency officers. The most recent incarnation that the BPD operated was the Bakersfield Law Enforcement Training Academy located on the grounds of

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 22,000 students each semester or 31,000 annually, and offers Associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community C ...

, which began operations in January 1999 and culminated with the graduating of Class 01/99 on June 5, 1999. The academy continued to train officers for Bakersfield Police and other agencies until 2008 when a fiscal crisis demanded that the department once again be joined with the Kern County Sheriff Department to train law enforcement officers. Both the BPD and the KCSO commanded the Kern Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy, located on Norris Road. The KRLETA is accredited by and follows the criteria set forth by the

commission of Peace Officers Standards and Training. As of August 2019, Bakersfield Police Department restarted a solo police academy in their own facility at 4646 California Avenue. The building is a heavily refurbished former restaurant. The facility was refurbished and upgraded with classrooms and locker room facilities, and a defensive tactics room.

Multimedia

The Bakersfield Police Department has established an informational website that allows the citizens of Bakersfield the opportunity to be involved in solving criminal cases within the Bakersfield community. The "Bakersfield Police Open-Case Files" is a continuously updated website that permits citizens to review open and unsolved cases and report any and all information that they may have that may assist the department in solving cold cases and leading to the arrest and conviction of outstanding criminals. The Bakersfield Police Department provides an informational website that tracks the crime rates in the city. "Bakersfield Police Crime Statistics" is an interactive website that provides the statistics for crime reporting and calls for service in a given area. Users of the site can locate their area within the city of Bakersfield and see the level of crime for a particular date. The site lists areas by maps, calls for service levels and the location of crimes that have occurred. The Bakersfield Police Department has authorized the establishment of a multimedia informational website other than their official city website. The "BPDInsider" is a monthly updated website that provides topics of interest and question that can be answered about the Bakersfield Police Department. The sight was fully operational as of March 12, 2008. The Bakersfield Police Activities League maintains a website dedicated to their efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency by providing skills through education, athletics and opportunities to at risk youth. The Bakersfield Police Officers Association maintains a website dedicated to the department's police officer union as well as giving information to the general public about officer activities and events.Bakersfield Police Officers Association
/ref>

Portrayals in fiction

A television sitcom entitled '' Bakersfield P.D.'' aired on the FOX network during the 1993–1994 season. It dealt with life inside the Bakersfield Police Department, portraying the department as an incompetent, backwoods police force. It starred

Chris Mulkey Chris Mulkey (born May 3, 1948) is an American film and television actor. Career Mulkey played the supporting role of husband to Annie Potts's character in '' Any Day Now'' from 1998 to 2002. He has also appeared in '' Captain Phillips'', '' ...

Tony Plana José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...

Ron Eldard Ronald Jason Eldard (born February 20, 1965) is an American actor. Early life Eldard was born on Long Island, New York. He is the sixth of seven children, and has four sisters and two brothers. He is of Irish and Scottish descent. Eldard's mothe ...

and

Brian Doyle-Murray Brian Murray (born October 31, 1945), known professionally by his stage name as Brian Doyle-Murray, is an American actor, voice-actor and screenwriter. He has appeared with his younger brother, actor/comedian Bill Murray, in several movies, i ...

. The

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

1980 film ''

Any Which Way You Can ''Any Which Way You Can'' is a 1980 American Action comedy film, action comedy film directed by Buddy Van Horn and starring Clint Eastwood, with Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis (actor), Geoffrey Lewis, William Smith (actor), William Smith, and Ruth G ...

'' featured scenes in the city of

with a car chase scene involving Bakersfield Police officers. A fourth season episode of ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', entitled " Dead Ringer", featured a secondary murder plot involving a female Bakersfield Police detective as a possible suspect. In 1999,

KB Toys K·B Toys (also known as Kay Bee Toys) was an American chain of mall-based retail toy stores. The company was founded in 1922 as Kaufman Brothers, a wholesale candy store. The company opened a wholesale toy store in 1946, and ended its candy who ...

released a line of exclusive diecast metal toy cars based on classic hotrod cars featuring real city police logos and paint schemes. "Cop Rods" by

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

featured a tail dragger hotrod decorated in the Bakersfield Police department style. In 2010, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starred in the film Faster in which he is released from prison and immediately begins hunting down and killing the people who killed his brother. The movie is said to take place in Bakersfield, Arvin, and an unnamed area state prison; however, it was filmed in Los Angeles, Palmdale, and the Mono Lake areas. There are scenes showing police vehicles with accurate Bakersfield Police cars and the badges worn by officers appear to be similar to real BPD badges. The

Zoe Saldana Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

2011 film ''

Colombiana ''Colombiana'' is a 2011 French English-language action thriller film co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoe Saldaña with supporting roles by Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum ...

'' features the Bakersfield Police Department as the police agency that arrests the protagonist in the beginning section of the film.

References

External links

Official website
{{Government of Bakersfield p Municipal police departments of California