Bellevue drivers are getting more tickets this summer. The Bellevue Police Department issued 332 speeding citations in July, a 35% increase over July 2025, and more than doubled its noise citations as part of a citywide enforcement effort that has been building since January.

The department posted the July data on Monday, Aug. 10, noting that speeding and noise remain top concerns for residents. Overall traffic citations hit 709 for the month, up 54% year-over-year. Noise citations rose to 22, a 114% jump from the same month last year.

The numbers are the latest monthly snapshot from BPD's Safer Roads Initiative, a Traffic Unit enforcement strategy launched in January 2026 that uses crime-analysis data to direct officers to locations where reckless driving and street racing are most likely to occur.

Trend since January

The initiative has produced elevated citation counts all year. In January, officers issued 299 speeding tickets (up 62% from 2025) and 19 modified-exhaust tickets (up 375%). By June, speeding citations reached 380, a 69% year-over-year increase, and total traffic citations hit 811, according to KOMO News reporting on a downtown crash investigation.

July's 332 speeding citations are below June's peak of 380 but remain well above the 2025 baseline.

Regional partnership

Bellevue isn't acting alone. In February, the department joined Issaquah, Redmond and Kirkland to form the Eastside Safe Streets Task Force, a regional partnership that combines officer resources to patrol neighborhoods prone to reckless driving and street racing. The task force has no announced end date.

Police Chief Wendell Shirley said on Feb. 20, when the task force launched, that "reckless driving and street racing incidents have no boundaries and occur across all cities and jurisdictions."

The initiative comes after a difficult 2025 on Bellevue roads: the city recorded four fatal traffic crashes and 36 crashes resulting in serious injuries last year, according to city records.

What's next

BPD has released monthly enforcement data throughout 2026 as a transparency measure but has not announced a specific date for August figures or any formal program review. The initiative runs indefinitely.

Residents who want to report speeding, reckless driving, street racing or vehicles with modified mufflers can call BPD's non-emergency line at 425-577-5656 or email [email protected]. The department asks callers to provide the make, model, color and license plate number of the vehicle.