KT renews contract with Bremerton Police for after-hours services

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 10, 2026

The Kitsap Transit Board of Commissioners approved a new contract March 3 with the Bremerton Police Department for $130,438 to provide after-hours services at the Bremerton Transportation Center.

The contract will run through Jan. 31, 2027. The contract rate is $106 an hour for 1,232 service hours with a minimum of three hours pay throughout the terms of the agreement, per a 2026 Law Enforcement Off-Duty Services Agreement.

A public records request to KT found the hourly contracted rate for services per hour increased between 2022 and 2026: $102.17 (2025), $98 (2024), $78.93 (2023), and $77 (2022).

“The increased cost is the result of increases in Bremerton Police Department officer salaries and overtime rates. This is not unique to Kitsap County,” KT marketing and public information director Sanjay Bhatt said.

Bhatt said BPD only provides after-hours police services at BTC at this time, and KT has had a contract with BPD since at least 2014, adding, “Officers have the ability to handle traffic issues that impact our bus deck at Bremerton Transportation Center, have arrest powers, and can provide reduced response time for emergency situations during peak traffic times.”

KT executive director John Clauson said the working hours of off-duty police officers typically are during weekday commuting hours. As part of the agreement, officers will wear department-issued uniforms except when conducting undercover work pre-approved by the city.