Richland Police Chief Resigns

Richland Police Chief, John Bruce, submitted his letter of resignation today to City Manager, Jon Amundson. Bruce’s last day at the City of Richland, WA, will be Friday, January 28, 2022.

Bruce was hired as Richland’s Police Chief in June of 2019. He came to Richland from Frisco, Texas, where he worked his way through the ranks for over 33 years. He was named Police Chief of Frisco in January 2013. Bruce was hired at Richland by former City Manager, Cindy Reents after an extensive nationwide recruitment effort.

Bruce played an integral role in helping the City navigate through the community’s COVID-19 response efforts. He also implemented key organizational structure changes among command staff and assisted with updating departmental policies stemming from recent legislative amendments.

“We thank Chief Bruce for the leadership and goodwill he brought to our community. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. We have appreciated his commitment to national public safety standards,” states Richland Mayor Michael Alvarez.

Amundson has appointed Richland Deputy Police Chief, Brigit Clary, to immediately assume the duties of Interim Police Chief effective January 28, 2022. Plans to launch a recruitment effort will be messaged in the coming months. 

Amundson states, “I am grateful for Chief Bruce’s service to our organization and am especially appreciative of the role he has played in helping us respond to COVID-19. I am confident in Deputy Chief, Clary’s ability to guide the department through the next chapter. The Richland Police Department is committed to trying new approaches to law enforcement. I know our staff looks forward to identifying strategies to not only maintain the safety of our community but increase engagement with citizens.” 

No further details will be released at this time.

More information regarding the City of Richland can be found at www.ci.richland.wa.us.