DEPARTMENT HISTORY

The City of Bradenton Police Department’s history traces back to 1903. According to historians, W.S. Young was our first Chief of Police, and also served as City Fire Marshall and Sanitation Inspector, earning $60 per month.

Group of officers

1932-1955 - Chief Clyde Benton

Chief Benton began his career at the department as a motorcycle officer in 1926. As Chief, his focus was on preventing auto accidents and crime in an era of county growth. He also had a mind for modernization. While he was chief, Bradenton became one of the first towns in Florida to train its officers in fingerprinting and crime detection. The department was also one of the first to install radio equipment for 24-hour instant contact between patrol cars and the station. He believed in making officers visible at schools, directing traffic, and participating in school programs and large social gatherings. Chief Benton also implemented a program that provided escorts for citizens who felt intimidated during trips to the polls during elections, which was credited with improving relations between local law enforcement and the African-American community. Notably, during World War II, the department’s staff decreased to only two or three officers who worked six and seven days a week.

1955-1960 - Chief Mack Britt

Chief Mack Britt began his law enforcement career in 1936 in the County Patrol, the forerunner of the state highway patrol. When the legislature created the Florida Highway Patrol in 1939, Britt was chosen from among 5,000 applicants to join the 31-man unit. He convinced the state that Bradenton was the perfect place to train the troopers. They did their drilling in a field where the Police Department currently stands and practiced motorcycle riding at what is now LECOM Field. Britt remained with the FHP until 1955, moving up the ranks to captain and troop commander. He then accepted the job as Chief of Police for Bradenton and led a force of 24 officers until 1960. It was also at this time that the police department moved to a brand new building off the Manatee River, complete with a reception center and lobby, dispatch center, and municipal courtroom. The headquarters was later named for Chief Britt.

Group portrait of the officers and trainers at the first Florida Highway Patrol training school held in Bradenton in 1939. (Manatee Library Digital Collections)

1960-1965 - Chief Harry Wilkison

Four lieutenants under the command of Chief Britt tested for promotion following his retirement. After receiving top marks, Harry Wilkison was sworn in as the new Chief of Police. Earlier in his life, Wilkison served in the Coast Guard from 1933 to 1948 and joined the department in 1951 as a patrolman. While serving as Chief, he established civil service tests for all employees, created a new detective division, and procured the department’s first polygraph machine.

Bradenton Police Chief Clyde Gill on a motorcycle shortly after he joined the Bradenton Police Department (Manatee Library Historic Digital Collections

1971-1975 - Chief Clyde Gill

During his tenure, Chief Clyde Gill formulated an idea for creating a specialized unit to be deployed in high-risk calls for service, aligning with a relatively new concept in policing at the time. After months of development and testing, BPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team was formed in December of 1976. It included five members: Lieutenant Dick Ference, Sergeant Jim Price, Detective Butch Delhagen, and Patrolmen Eddie Rigsby and Larry Dellaposta. The formation of the team coincided with the airing of a new primetime television show; however, the team members were quick to stop any comparison between SWAT and the eponymous program. Said Officer Delhagen, “The TV show just makes the team look glamorous and easy. That’s just not the way it is.”

Bradenton Police SWAT Team in 1976 (Manatee Library Historic Digital Collections)

1976-1980 - Chief Lawrence Diehl

Detective Larry Diehl was sworn in as Chief of Police in November 1976. During his tenure, BPD hired its first female uniformed officer. Valerie Ester, a former bus driver and a mother of three, was one of two women in her law enforcement academy’s graduating class. Officer Ester served from 1976-1995.

In November 1976 Detective Larry Diehl was sworn in as Police Chief by Bradenton Mayor Abby Leach. (Manatee Library Digital Collections)

Valerie Ester in 1977 (Manatee Library Digital Collections)

1980-1982 - Chief I.M. Skinner

1982-1985 - Chief Charlie Wells

During his time as Chief, the Department established official Narcotics, K-9, School Resource Officer, and Marine Units. Chief Wells became the Sheriff of Manatee County in 1995.

1985-1995 - Chief Vito “Vic” Badalamenti

Vito “Vic” Badalamenti served honorably in the US Air Force, then as a New York state trooper for 21 years. He joined the department in 1980 and was selected as Chief in 1985, a position he held until 1995.

1995-2001 - Chief Daniel Thorpe

Chief Daniel Thorpe worked for BPD for over 20 years, the last six as Chief, and was well-known in the city for holding his frequent “Chief’s In” meetings in parking lots and along roadsides, where he and other officers would grill hot dogs for residents and allow them to foster community relationships by answering their questions and concerns. “I could sit downtown in my office all day and get phone calls, or stand out here and talk to hundreds of people”. – Chief Thorpe

2001-2002 - Chief Albert Hogle

Albert Hogle served briefly as Chief, following a 28-year career as a narcotics officer with the Sarasota Police Department, where he eventually served as Commissioner and Mayor of the City of Sarasota. Following his brief tenure in Bradenton, Chief Hogle served as the Chief of the Longboat Key Police Department. He was known as a calm, caring, laid-back leader who always made time for anyone who needed him. While at BPD, Chief Hogle initiated the Safe Streets program, revamped the Narcotics Unit, and created an oversight team to manage hiring and ethics issues.

2002-2016 - Chief Michael “Razz” Radzilowski

Chief Radzilowski began his career as an officer with the Washington, DC Police Department in 1970. He moved through the ranks for 31 years before coming to Bradenton as Chief. He initially planned to run the department for two or three years, then retire. Instead, he served as Chief for 13 years. Chief Radzilowski and the department focused on a community policing philosophy to foster positive relationships with residents and officers, which was credited with helping the crime rate drop 69% under his administration.

2016-2025 - Chief Melanie Bevan

Chief Melanie Bevan served the St. Petersburg Police Department for 29 years before retiring as Assistant Chief. In February 2016, she became the City of Bradenton's 13th Chief of Police and its first female Chief. She retired in July 2025.

During her tenure, Chief Bevan emphasized community engagement and built partnerships with various special interest groups. Her community-oriented policing strategy focused on increasing police visibility at neighborhood watch meetings, including the implementation of the Walking the Beat program, where officers patrol their assigned areas on foot. Additionally, with a doctorate in organizational leadership, she underscored the significance of higher education and advanced training for her personnel.

Chief Bevan received the 2018 Manatee Wonder Woman Award from the Women’s Resource Center. In 2019, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Criminal Punishment Code Task Force, and in 2020, she was appointed to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. In 2023, she was honored with the Pat Glass First Responder Leadership Award.