Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility 2022 Speakers | University of West Florida
Skip to main content
Logo of University of West Florida

Melanie Bevan

  • Chief of Police, Bradenton Police Department

Biography

Melanie Bevan became the Chief of the Bradenton Police Department in 2016 and has over 34 years of law enforcement experience. The department has a combined sworn and civilian strength of 180 personnel, serving a community of approximately 63,000 citizens. Prior to this, she served the St. Petersburg Police Department for 29 years, retiring at the rank of Assistant Chief. Since arriving in Bradenton, she has introduced a host of safety measures and community engagement protocols which illustrate her community centricity and commitment to being a strong advocate for newer and better ways of policing.

Chief Bevan earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University in 1997, her master’s degree in Public Administration from Troy State University in 2001, and her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University in 2011. She is an adjunct professor in the Homeland Security Program for the State College of Florida. She also serves as a Consultant in the field of officer safety and wellness for the VALOR program and police executive development.

She is a 2005 graduate of the 219th Session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. In 2012, Chief Bevan was one of 13 law enforcement leaders nationwide chosen to attend the Anti-Defamation League National Counter-Terrorism Seminar for Police Executives held in Israel. In 2013, she completed the four-week Cohort of the Naval Postgraduate Center for Homeland Security and Defense, Homeland Security Executive Leaders Program in Monterey, California. She is a 2018 graduate of the 77th Session of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) and was a member of the Leadership Florida 2019-2020 Cornerstone Class 38.

Chief Bevan is a member of the International Leadership Association “for those who practice, study and teach leadership”; the International Association of Chiefs of Police; and serves on the Executive Board as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Florida Police Chiefs Association. She has been involved as a mentor for
Take Stock in Children of Pinellas/Manatee for 18 years. Chief Bevan was the recipient of the 2018 Women’s Resource Center’s Manatee Wonder Woman Award. She was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Criminal Punishment Code Force in 2019, and to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission in 2020 to a four-year term.