Melanie Bevan became the Chief of the Bradenton Police Department in 2016 and has over 38 years of law enforcement experience. Before this, she served the St. Petersburg Police Department for 29 years, retiring as Assistant Chief. Since arriving in Bradenton, she has introduced a host of safety measures and community engagement protocols that 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 degree 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 officer safety and wellness for the VALOR program and police executive development. Chief Bevan has worked as an authenticator for Major League Baseball for the past 16 years.

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 a mentor for Take Stock in Children of Pinellas/Manatee for 18 years. Chief Bevan received the 2018 Women’s Resource Center’s Manatee Wonder Woman Award. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed her to the Criminal Punishment Code Task Force in 2019 and the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission in 2020. In 2023, Chief Bevan received the Pat Glass First Responder Leadership Award.