Since 2019, the Bremerton Police Department has adopted a program called Safe Place, which aims to build working relationships between local businesses, community members, and police departments in an effort to increase reporting of hate crimes.

Participating businesses place a Safe Place sticker, which they obtain from their local participating law enforcement agency, outside of the business and train staff to call 911 and let the person reporting the hate crime stay inside the business and wait for police to arrive.

Seattle Police LGBTQ+ liaison Haden Barton, who oversees SPD’s Safe Place program, said one of the goals of the program since its 2015 adoption has been to build and improve the relationships between local law enforcement agencies, local businesses and LGBTQIA+ community members who have historically been mistreated by the police. Barton said the program has grown to over 360 agencies globally, including Canada.

“Every department has hate crimes that occur in their community, but not every department has hate crimes that are reported to them because of that lack of trust,” he said.

Kitsap County is served by five police departments and Kitsap News Group reached out to each department to learn if they are currently participating in the program or would implement the program in the future. Police officials at Port Orchard Police Department, Poulsbo Police Department, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, and Bainbridge Island Police Department do not currently participate in the program. Police officials at both the Port Orchard and Poulsbo departments confirmed they would be interested in the possibility of looking into the program in the future. KCSO officials said the department is interested in programs that keep people safe, including Safe Place; however, they don’t currently have the staff to administer the program.

As of 2025, BPD has roughly 20 businesses participating, Bremerton police chief Tom Wolfe wrote via email. Detective Mitchell Chapmen, who participated in BPD’s adoption of the program, said since its adoption, businesses have positively responded to the program. Chapmen said he also believes the program is a good opportunity for patrol officers to continue to build working relationships with local businesses, who often are already stakeholders in the community.

BIPD officials confirmed the agency is not currently participating in the program. “BIPD is not currently a participant in the program, and there are no plans currently to initiate it,” city communication coordinator Shannon Hays wrote in an email. “BIPD explored the program in 2023 and found that, at the time, the structure of the program seemed limiting. Seattle Police Department notes that the Safe Place initiative is copyrighted and trademarked, which raised questions about its implementation and scope at the time. An initial discussion with the city’s Race Equity Advisory Committee (REAC) occurred in 2023, but the program was not pursued further,” Hays said.

2025 reported hate crimes in Kitsap County:

Port Orchard: 1

Poulsbo: 0

KCSO: 3

BPD: 5

BIPD: 0

Bremerton Police reported none of the reported hate crimes occurred at participating Safe Place businesses. The Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office reported no hate crime referrals from law enforcement in 2025. County Prosecutor Chad Enright said his office typically receives between 0-5 cases per year, with 2025 being a low year.

Chamber of Commerce perspectives

BI Chamber of Commerce executive director Lindsay Browning said the chamber would be interested in supporting the program if BIPD formally adopted it.

South Kitsap Chamber of Commerce executive director Jaclyn Williams said the chamber would be interested in exploring the program and partnering with POPD, adding, “As it stands, the chamber is mostly here to bridge the gap between the POPD and the greater business community when needed. We work with them as needed, when prompted.”

Early adopters of the program include Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee in 2015, as well as Chase Bank in 2017. A Chase Bank spokesperson confirmed since 2017, over 150 branches statewide are Safe Places, including five branches in Kitsap County. A Starbucks spokesperson confirmed via email, each location chooses if it wishes to participate in the program, and Starbucks doesn’t keep an active list of participating stores.

BI police chief Joe Clark provided the following statement regarding the importance of reporting hate crimes:

“We encourage the reporting of all hate crimes, as it helps us understand what is occurring in the community and supports efforts to protect victims and potential victims. It is important to call 911 immediately if you experience or witness a hate crime; if you cannot call right away, contact 911 as soon as you are able. The Bainbridge Island Police Department can also assist victims and provide information about available legal and community resources,” he said.