Captain Rick Bruce announces retirement

Captain Rick Bruce, who heads up the SFPD's Bayview District (Potrero Hill is part of this district) announced his retirement on Saturday, via an e-mail to subscribers of his daily community update e-mails.

During his tenure, Captain Rick Bruce introduced several innovative initiatives including: direct cell phone access to officers assigned to quality of life issues, daily community updates via e-mail, and police substations within the “Big Three” housing developments.

I'm appreciative of the fact that he took the time to meet with a group of concerned parents (myself included) after several street robberies occured back-to-back a couple months ago, as well as his monthly visits to the Potrero Boosters meetings.

He's done a remarkable job from what I know about him, and thank him for the work he's accomplished.

[From Captain Rick Bruce ]

Dear Bayview Community:

I returned home last night from a two week vacation in Lake Tahoe with my family.  For the first time in almost a year, I had all of my sons together, providing a rare opportunity for some frank discussions about each of our lives, current and future.  As a result, for both personal and professional reasons, I will be stepping down as the captain of the Bayview District effective August 20.  I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the tremendous support you have shown for my officers, for this department, and for me personally.  I believe that the officers assigned to Bayview Station have made some important and positive changes in the way in which police services are delivered to this community.  And I have every confidence that further positive changes will occur in the coming months and years, and that you can continue to take pride in the daily job performed by your Bayview officers.

Throughout my stay in this district, I have attempted to articulate for you what the officers of this district do on a daily basis.  It has been my experience that community members who are well versed in what their officers actually do are much more willing to partner with these same officers.  It is only through these partnerships that the officers of this district, or any district, can be fully effective in addressing the long-standing and seemingly intractable crime problems which have plagued this district for many years.

Two of the more popular initiatives first introduced in the Bayview have now been institutionalized department-wide, and for this reason will continue uninterrupted.  Each of our ten police districts now produces a weekly e-mail for their constituencies, and each district likewise utilizes a series of “quality of life” cell phones which provide quicker and easier access to the district’s officers.

Additionally, following the placement of teams of officers in our district’s “Big Three” housing developments, our department entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the San Francisco Housing Authority, thereby ensuring that this program will also continue uninterrupted.  Since the assignment of these teams to our main public housing developments, crime, particularly violent crime, has been reduced substantially.

Each new captain brings his or her own vision to the job, and I know that Deputy Chief David Shinn will select a capable and suitable replacement who understands the issues and needs of this district.  I will work closely with both Deputy Chief Shinn, and whomever he chooses as my replacement, to ensure a seamless transition.  In addition, I plan to continue working on two of the projects begun in the past year in the Bayview, both of which have particular importance for me.

First, the total renovation of the Hunter’s Point Gym by the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco will begin later this year, and upon completion, this facility will be a state of the art youth club we can all be proud of.  I believe that this club will have a major impact on the lives of the kids living on Hunter’s Point Hill for generations to come, and I will continue to assist in any way possible to see that this dream becomes a reality.  In addition, as President of the Police Activities League, I will continue to push for expanded programming for the kids living in Bayview – Hunter’s Point.  The children growing up here need positive activities which teach them teamwork, dedication, and the value of hard work.  These programs can do just that.

It has been my extreme honor to serve you these past months, and I will close by reminding you that the officers of this district need your continued support if they are to be fully effective.  Your Bayview officers are some of the hardest working and most dedicated officers I have had the pleasure of working with in my career.  These are your officers, and I know that they will do everything in their power to continue to enhance both your safety and your quality of life in this district.

I wish you all the best, and I will always value both the friendship and support you have graciously provided me.

Rick Bruce Bayview Station
August 13, 2005

Note: Letters of appreciation will be compiled for the captain's retirement dinner, and can be e-mailed to: SFPDBayviewStation(at)ci.sf.ca.us

or mailed to:
Lt. Kurt Bruneman
Bayview Station
201 Williams St.
SF, CA. 94124