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JAMES WINS CHESHIRE AWARD SPOTLight


BY STEVE BRAWNER Contributing Writer


In the late 1990s, Bruce James decided


to quit cleaning up the streets as a police officer and instead clean stains out of rugs through his own carpet cleaning business. It lasted about two years. “It was a good business,” he said. “I did


pretty well with it, but yeah, I did, I got to missing (law enforcement), so I got back in it. ... It’s what I was put here to do, I think.” James, 51, hasn’t left law enforcement


since. He’s now a captain in the Department of Public Safety’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division for Region 1, which includes Dallas and Fort Worth. He’s also the winner of the 2014 C.H. Cheshire Award, given by the TXTA’s Safety Management Council to a current or retired law enforcement officer for promot- ing safer Texas highways. On patrol, James made being polite


and professional a top priority when deal- ing with drivers, who he said are “just try- ing to make a living.” He has the same atti- tude when working with fleets. “It’s one good thing about this line of


work, is we do have a lot of good motor carriers in Texas that really, really have safety in mind, and working together with them is a big plus, something that I enjoy,” he said. “You’ve got good trucking compa- nies out there that are trying to do the right thing and training their drivers and keep- ing up with changes that occur.” It’s not hard to see how James ended


up in commercial motor vehicle enforce- ment. His uncle, Melvin James, was chief of


“IT’S ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS LINE OF WORK, IS WE DO HAVE A LOT OF GOOD MOTOR CARRIERS IN TEXAS THAT REALLY, REALLY HAVE SAFETY IN MIND, AND WORKING TOGETHER WITH THEM IS A BIG PLUS,


SOMETHING THAT I ENJOY,” HE SAID. “YOU’VE GOT GOOD TRUCKING COMPANIES OUT THERE THAT ARE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND TRAINING THEIR DRIVERS AND KEEPING UP WITH CHANGES THAT OCCUR.”


police for the San Angelo Police Department, and his father, Buck, for a time was a member of the force. James grew up on a farm and drove a grain truck as a summer job, so he had experience behind the wheel. After graduating from high school, he then studied livestock and ranch operations at a trade school. When he married, he decided he needed a more stable job, so in 1987 at age 23, he became a member of the San Angelo force. That experience would lead to DPS.


He spent about 10 years with the San Angelo Police Department, and then he was a Tom Green County reserve deputy while he ran his carpet cleaning business. He returned to law enforcement and worked full-time for the sheriff for about a year. In 2000, he finally had the chance to work where he’d wanted to be all along, for DPS. He moved up the ranks in Austin at the Motor Carrier Bureau before being pro-


moted to captain and coming to Dallas- Fort Worth last September. James said winning the Cheshire


Award was a surprise. He had been invited to attend the TXTA’s fall seminar as a pan- elist and was sitting at a banquet with wife Katie when he realized the winner that was being described sounded like him. James plans to remain with DPS


another 10 years before he retires, when he’ll have more time to spend on his hob- bies—fishing, golf, yard work—and with his family, which includes six grandsons with another grandchild on the way. He likes both the work and his co-


workers. “I’ve got a real good group of troopers up here,” he said. “You know, the chain of command up here is very close, a good group to work with. To me, just com- ing to work and working with the folks I work with is what I enjoy the most.” R


Summer 2015 23


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