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Specialized Units

  • K9 Unit
    The canine unit may be used for building searches, tracking/searching (for missing persons, suspects, or evidence), the apprehension of criminal suspects, narcotic raids and searches, and handler/officer protection.

    Sergeant Adam Cleary became a member of the Bethel Police Department in 2008 and inn 2013, he was chosen to be the handler for a new department K-9, replacing the K-9/Handler team of Sgt. Durkin and K-9 "Asco". Asco retired at the age of 11 years after serving the department for 9 years.

    In the fall of 2013, Bethel resident Richard Verdi made a generous donation to assist the Police Department K-9 program. After testing several German Shepard dogs, the new department K-9 was chosen and named "Bishop". This name was chosen in honor of Captain Robbie Bishop from the Villa Rica Police Department in Georgia who was shot and killed during a "routine" traffic stop on January 20, 1999. Captain Bishop was best known for his drug interdiction work in Georgia and had set state records on interstate drug seizures, he was survived by his wife and two children.

    K-9 "Bishop" is a Schutzund Level 1 trained German Shepard and was came to the United States from Hungary. Sergeant Cleary and Bishop attended an extensive basic training class in which Bishop was trained as a dual purpose Police Dog, including training in patrol work and narcotics detection. Sergeant Cleary and K-9 "Bishop" successfully completed training in January of 2014 and are both NAPWDA and CPWDA certified.

  • Major Accident Team
    Comprised of Officers specially trained in crash reconstruction including crash physics and vehicle evidence interpretation. These Officers have specialized tools and equipment to aide in their investigations of serious or fatal collisions involving motor vehicles or pedestrians. The major accident team is under the command of Sergeant James Christos.

  • Bicycle Unit
    Consists of Officers trained in patrol techniques involving the use of specially equipped mountain bikes to patrol our downtown area. Bicycle patrol Officers are also used for special events such as parades and community gatherings.
  • Honor Guard
    The Bethel Police Honor Guard consists of officers who are assigned to respectfully and professionally carry our Country’s Flag in addition to the State, Town, and Department flags with dignity, honor, and respect.
  • School Resource Officers
    Officers are assigned to all five schools on a full-time basis with offices in the Bethel Middle School and Bethel High School. School Resource Officers work closely with the school faculty, staff, and students to make the schools a safer, more enriching environment. The School Resource Officer's days are spent meeting with students, administration, support staff, and parents in regards to various issues or concerns. The School Resource Officers also visit classrooms to give guest lessons on alcohol and drugs, search and seizure, and other constitutional/law related topics. School Resource Officers generally work Monday-Friday during school hours.

  • Car Seat Unit
    The Bethel Police Department has several Officers specially trained in car seat inspections and installation and who are Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. The car seat unit periodically holds designated car seat inspection and installation days.