Benicia Police Department

09/01/2026

On Thursday morning, 8/27, we received a report that a mural in the downtown area had been vandalized during the preceding night. Using video from a downtown business along with our Flock ALPR technology, our detectives were able to identify the vehicle associated with the incident. This morning (8/31) our dispatch center was alerted by Flock that the car was within the city limits. During a search of the vehicle officers found a can of red paint under the front seat. The driver, a 24 year old male from Vallejo, confessed to the act of vandalism, and was subsequently taken into custody and transported to Solano County Jail. Incidents of vandalism that are intended to marginalize or intimidate people in our City will not be tolerated. Our Department is committed to the safety of all of our residents and our community.
For more information on the arrest, visit https://benicia.citizenrims.com, and click on the “Arrests” tab.

08/25/2026

Last week retired Chief of Police and former Councilmember/Vice Mayor Pierre Bidou passed away at the age of 88. Tomorrow, Wednesday August 26th, Pierre and his family will be escorted by Benicia PD in a procession from Passalaqua Funeral Home to St. Dominic’s Church. After a Catholic mass and private graveside ceremony, Pierre will be laid to rest alongside his beloved wife “Teddie,” who was the City Treasurer for many years.

The procession will leave Passalacqua’s at 10:30am. Whether you had the pleasure of knowing Pierre, or just wish to pay your respects, we invite you to stand along Military West or First Street for the procession.

Attached is a map of the full route of the procession.

08/19/2026

Yesterday the Benicia Police Department and the City of Benicia lost a valued member of our family. We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Retired Chief of Police and former Councilmember Pierre Bidou.

Pierre held the position of Chief of Police for 16 years [1976 to 1992] and was a member of the Benicia Police Department since 1964. After he retired from BPD he continued to contribute to his community as both a councilmember and Vice Mayor of the City Council and a Trustee on the Benicia Unified School District Board. He was deeply committed to the prosperity of the city in every possible way.

Outside of his professional life, Pierre was a devoted member of the Catholic church. He attended St. Dominic’s Church regularly and was essential in establishing the Benicia Conference of St. Vincent de Paul in 1993. In retirement, Pierre turned his sights to the skies and pursued his passion for flying. Not only did he obtain his pilot’s license, but he was partial owner of a Cessna plane. He would soar off on day trips to either stop at a far-off destination for lunch, or to just enjoy the beauty of the landscape from 13,000 feet.

Pierre was a pillar of our community, and his name will always be a part of the history of the Benicia Police Department. He will be deeply missed by not only both current and retired members of the BPD family, but also his 6 children and 14 grandchildren that will carry on his legacy.

08/05/2026

Prior to 1941, law enforcement in Benicia was overseen by a Constable, a person specifically elected to enforce local ordinances. In October of 1941, City Council appointed the first Chief of Police (J.E. Ackerman), and established the Benicia Police Department to enforce local and state laws.

This year, to recognize the 85th anniversary of BPD, we recreated the first official BPD patch (worn in the 40s) to commemorate the milestone.

Many of the historical photos show this patch on the shoulders of officers, but we had a hard time locating one...until Retired Sgt. David Eger found one in his collection of keepsakes from his years with the Benicia Police Department. A big 'thank you' to Sgt. Eger for donating the original patch to our department archives!

08/03/2026

On Friday, 7/31, Oakland PD entered a felony vehicle into Flock that was associated with an armed robbery that had occurred earlier in the day. At 11pm, BPD was alerted by our ALPR system that the vehicle entered the City of Benicia. Officers located the vehicle in a residential area of town, but the driver refused to stop and led our patrol units to the dead end of Baylor Court. The driver abandoned the vehicle and began hopping the fences behind several homes in an attempt to evade capture. With the assistance of the California Highway Patrol air unit and the Solano County Sheriff's Office K9 unit, BPD was able to coordinate a perimeter in the area, and ultimately located and arrested the suspect, a 23 year old male from Benicia, and transported him to the Solano County Jail. The suspect’s vehicle was towed to a storage area to be processed for evidence by Oakland PD.

On Saturday, BPD officers returned to the area to conduct a search of the scene. A loaded firearm, that the suspect had tossed aside during the foot pursuit, was recovered and entered into evidence.

For more information on the arrest, visit https://benicia.citizenrims.com, and click on the “Arrests” tab.

07/30/2026

Another year of school is about to start and we hope all the students are excited to get back to learning.
Knowing that every experience and opportunity is a step toward the future you want, we asked some of our staff at BPD to share the jobs they had before becoming part of the BPD family.

07/27/2026

Our 2026 Citizen Academy kicks off in a few weeks. This 10 week (one night per week) program provides an in depth, hands on experience for individuals that want to learn more about the BPD and law enforcement operations and services, in general. It is a FREE academy and is open to both Benicia residents and individuals what work at a Benicia business; ages 18 and up. Submit your application to participate before all the spots fill! Visit www.ci.benicia.ca.us/pdspecialevents for more details and to download the application.

07/23/2026

Congratulations to our very own Officer Werlinger, who was honored today by MADD, for his commitment to reducing the incidents of DUI on our community streets, and by preventing injury to others through the enforcement of DUI laws.

07/16/2026

We have a few spots remaining in our upcoming Youth Citizens Academy! Open to Benicia students entering the 7th or 8th grades, this is a fun week of learning about, and experiencing first hand, operations and services of the Benicia Police Department. Applications are available at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/pdspecialevents. It's a FREE program and a great way to spend one of the last weeks of summer vacation. Don't miss out.

07/15/2026

Active Fire on N680 at Bayshore. Please refer to BFD post for updates.

Final update 7:30 p.m.: The fire was contained at 12 acres. Fire department personnel will remain on scene throughout the night for mop up. It is safe to re-enter all evacuated buildings. No structures burned. Once again, huge thanks to our mutual aid partners for their assistance.

Update 3:30 p.m.: Forward progress has stopped. Thanks to Richmond Firefighters Local 188 for assisting.

Update 2:30 p.m.: The incident has now been upgraded to a 4th alarm response. This means that additional firefighters and resources have been requested to support. Suisun City Fire Department, Vacaville Fire Dept, Dixon Fire Department have also responded. ConFire is responding with a helicopter.

1:30 p.m.: Benicia Firefighters are fighting a brush fire near northbound I-680, north of Industrial. CHP - Solano has closed the Industrial on-ramp into I-680. Please avoid the area.

There are several structures currently threatened. Thank you to Vallejo Fire Department and Fairfield Fire Department for their mutual aid responses. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Please only call 911 if you are experiencing an active emergency.