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Bedford police chief reports rising call volume, full staffing and CALEA push
Summary
Chief Jim Moore told council that calls for service rose from 8,313 in 2023 to 10,828 in 2025, the department is fully staffed, three recruits are in the academy, and the agency is pursuing CALEA accreditation with an on-site review expected in December.
Chief Jim Moore briefed the council on the Bedford Police Department's operations and priorities, emphasizing three core missions: preserve life, protect the vulnerable and create problem-solving partnerships.
Moore said he has served a year as chief and praised the department's professionalism. He provided a brief statistics snapshot: 8,313 calls for service in 2023; 9,818 in 2024; and 10,828 in 2025. In 2025 the department recorded 2,194 traffic stops, issued 769 traffic summonses and made 43 DUI arrests. Moore said the department is currently fully staffed and has three recruits in the police academy.
Moore described training, partnerships and community programs: a Citizens Police Academy, recruitment partnerships with Liberty University, an expanded peer-support team and the My 90 community-feedback program that staff said shows high public trust (Moore cited 90% positive responses and other favorable metrics in recent feedback).
In questions, council members and the public asked about FOIA requests for body-worn camera footage and the staffing/time burden of redactions; Moore confirmed those requests are labor-intensive. The presentation closed with the chief saying the department hopes to complete its CALEA on-site accreditation visit in December, which he described as a significant achievement for a small agency.
