After training and working patrol for two years, he was promoted to detective. In the following years he rotated back into patrol and helped develop a crime prevention program and served as the APD training coordinator.
In May 1996 he was recruited to the Frisco Police Department. Two years later he was promoted to captain and in 2003 he was promoted to assistant chief.
Bruce was named interim chief in October 2012 and chief in February 2013.
How has the department kept up with Frisco's rapid growth?
Carefully. We've enjoyed a positive relationship with the many different city councils, working through the city manager's office to demonstrate that need for growth within the police department. We have a track record of not asking for fluff, but asking for [staff] we really need. Over the years [city leaders have] demonstrated a desire to have the best services—not just police, but fire, streets, public works—all of them. [Good service] because of our citizen involvement. We credit them with the lower crime rate we have and the types of crime that we have.
What are the key issues the police department is facing right now?
The challenges are those where we see the citizens could take those proactive steps to reduce crime in their neighborhoods. The challenges are [also] working our way through the issues of fraudulent use of identification, credit card abuses and the loosely formed gangs that drift through not just Frisco but the entire Metroplex from other areas doing residential burglaries, vehicle burglaries, shoplifting and credit card abuse sprees through all the shopping opportunities Frisco has to offer.
What do you see as challenges in the future?
Traffic is at the top of that list, not only as we work our way through [new] road construction, but as we work through road construction because of rebuilding. Even though we are a young city, we still have to look to the city for that redevelopment. A key component of that coming from us is traffic education. We already do Traffic Tip Tuesdays, where we send out tips on Facebook and Twitter. We are also getting a new traffic sergeant. The No. 1 complaint we get from our citizens is speeding or reckless driving in the residential areas, so we will continue to examine accident patterns and make recommendations and possibly have extra enforcement in different areas based upon what we're seeing. Beyond traffic, [the challenge is] keeping up with the demand for service. Our citizens truly at this point get to determine what is that level of service that they want and what types of services within the department do they want us to continue to offer.
What community programs does the department have in place?
We do a lot. At present for businesses we have Cops and Coffee. We come together with our business partners. Sometimes I have a tip; sometimes it is just about drinking coffee with us and interacting with us and seeing what the issues from their points of view are. Generally we will have a tip, even if it's just as simple as Lock, Take and Hide [belongings in cars] as it relates to their customers so they can pass that information on. Additionally on the Saturday closest to the 15th of May, which is the National Law Enforcement Memorial Day, is our Frisco CAN—Community Awareness Night—which is our replacement for National Night Out. It's an opportunity for people to get out, have a block party, get to know your neighbors and remember what it's like to interact with your neighbors. We also do building tours, we do our Citizens Police Academy, we do our Teen Academy during the summer targeting middle school students. There is not a lot of stuff we don't do.
