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By JUSTIN PEEPER
In the 22 years Bruce Holland has been a Bluffton police officer, he has seen about everything and been honored many times, but nothing left him as speechless or breathless as what happened last year.
Holland has not been called into the chief of police’s office too many times during his spotless career, but he was in May 2007.
The veteran officer walked into Chief Tammy Schaffer’s office, where she and Deputy Chief Nathan Huss were seated with serious looks on their faces.
“I don’t get called into the chief’s office too often and both of them were sitting there with somber faces on,” Holland said.
But the two top city police officers’ serious looks soon changed to smiles as they told Holland he had just been selected as America’s D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year, a top national award given to just one officer each year.
“I was speechless and had to sit down,” Holland said. “That is such a prestigious award in D.A.R.E. circles but it never crossed my mind that I would win the award. I just have a passion for everything I do with the D.A.R.E. program.”
“To get this kind of recognition was just totally overwhelming.”
Holland, who initiated the D.A.R.E. program in Wells County, was honored July 18, at the 20th Annual D.A.R.E. International Training Conference in Nashville, Tenn.
“D.A.R.E. has been the most meaningful part of my police work,” Holland said. “I have done other things along the way, but D.A.R.E. has been my heart and soul.”
Charlie Parsons, president and chief executive officer of D.A.R.E. America, presented Holland with a marble-based glass award to honor his dedication and service on behalf of the D.A.R.E program.
“It affirms what we have known about Bruce for a long, long time,” said Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis. “He is a wonderful asset and it’s nice to see the nation recognizing what we have known for years now.”
Holland and his wife Diane traveled to Nashville the week of July 16 to attend the conference and the awards ceremony. More than 1,100 D.A.R.E. officers attended the annual national conference.
Schaffer and Bluffton Police Officer Dennis Fiscus also attended and watched as Holland received the award in front of more than 1,200 people at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville.
“I don’t think there is a better person who could have received this award,” Schaffer said.
“Bruce just has that passion for what he does, not only for D.A.R.E. but also as a school resource officer. He has truly found his niche and he does it very, very well. He is known across the country for his efforts in D.A.R.E.”
Nearly a year has passed since Holland received his national award, and he says it has been the highlight of his career.
“It’s still hard for me to believe that I won the national award,” he said. “I know I put a lot of years in ... but for me it’s such an amazing award that it was like putting a stamp of approval on everything I have done for D.A.R.E. for the last 20 years.”
Being nominated
In April and May 2007, two different individuals nominated Holland for the national award: Michael Ward, executive director of D.A.R.E. Indiana and Sgt. Christine Rapp, a D.A.R.E officer and mentor from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Holland didn’t know at the time the two D.A.R.E. officials had nominated him.
“It could be said with not a whole lot of objection that Officer Bruce Holland is D.A.R.E. Indiana,” states a portion of Ward’s nomination letter. “Referred to often as the conscience of the D.A.R.E. Indiana Training Team, he has become without question our rudder.”
“Bruce Holland always steps up to plate for D.A.R.E.,” Rapp’s letter states. “Whether we are talking about D.A.R.E. Indiana or D.A.R.E. America, Bruce has always been available for teaching, training, mentoring and giving advice.”
In accepting the award, Holland shared the Bluffton High School 2007 class motto with everyone: “Life is not measured by the breaths you take; it’s the moments that take your breaths away.” He told the audience that this award had taken his breath away when he learned of his selection.
He also said the honor serves as a deep sense of fulfillment.
“I accomplished something important about that which I am very passionate about,” he said in his acceptance speech. “The D.A.R.E. curricula that we have today are better than ever. I am as excited now as when I began teaching in 1988.”
In fact, Holland has become the facilitator for D.A.R.E. training in Indiana since he received the award last summer. He has reworked the D.A.R.E. mentor’s training manual.
In accepting the award, Holland thanked members of the D.A.R.E. America staff, as well as Schaffer and former Bluffton Police Chief Bob Frantz for their support over the years. He also thanked his wife for her endless support and encouragement.
Mayor Ellis officially proclaimed July 18, 2007, as “Bruce Holland Day” in Bluffton.
Years of service
Holland joined the Bluffton Police Department in February 1986, but it was not his first job. He spent the first seven years of his career in full-time Christian ministry, part of that time in Illinois and the remainder at the Markle Church of Christ. He also worked as an EMT in Wells County.
Since 1986, he has been on the Bluffton Police Department.
In 1988, Holland played a key role in bringing the D.A.R.E. program to Wells County. In 1989, he received departmental honors as Bluffton Law Officer of the Year for his achievements with the then-fledgling D.A.R.E. program amid other police duties.
In 1993 he was recognized as the Indiana D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year in an event at Evansville and later in a national event at Las Vegas, Nev.
He has been training new D.A.R.E. officers for the past 15 years.
The D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program here under Holland’s leadership has worked with literally thousands of children and youths steering them toward drug-free, substance-free commitments.
Recognized across the country for his involvement in D.A.R.E., Holland went to Germany in 2003 and again in 2004 to give training programs. In 2006 his D.A.R.E. expertise took him to Okinawa.
He also travels extensively in the area training new D.A.R.E. officers. In addition to his current duties, Holland also serves as chaplain for both the Bluffton Police Department and the Bluffton Fire Department. He has been a firefighter, too.
He is a past president of the Indiana D.A.R.E. officers association and a member of the D.A.R.E. Indiana Advisory Board. He is the facilitator for D.A.R.E. training in Indiana.
Each year, D.A.R.E. America presents four major awards, including the one Holland received this month.
In addition to local coverage, Holland has also been featured in a couple of publications since receiving his national award. The recognition as the National D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year was in School Safety (the Official Journal of the National Association of School Resource Officers) and the Innocorp, Ltd. newsletter (Innocorp makes the “Fatal Vison Goggles” used in D.A.R.E. and other training).
For more information on the Web, visit www.dare.com
D.A.R.E. today in Wells
Today, Holland serves as the resource officer for Bluffton-Harrison Schools. In addition to being the school resource officer, Holland teaches the D.A.R.E. program to sophomores at Bluffton High School, fifth graders at Bluffton Middle School and first graders at Bluffton and Lancaster elementary schools.
“Bruce Holland has been a great fit for the Bluffton-Harrsion school system,” said Steve Baker, principal of Bluffton High School. “Bruce cares for our students and it shows in his daily activities. Students see a support person in Bruce Holland, not an intimidating law officer. He teaches our D.A.R.E. program and he is also a regular in other classes when a topic is discussed that Bruce can lend his expertise.”
Holland’s efforts with D.A.R.E., however, are just part of his duties in the school district, Baker added.
“Bruce is also very valuable when it comes to the relationship between the school system and the Bluffton City police department,” Baker said. “He helps out with investigations and lends his support of daily school operations. Our schools are a safer and more caring place because of Officer Bruce Holland.”
The D.A.R.E. program is the largest it has ever been in Wells County history. In addition to Holland and Schaffer, officers Dennis Fiscus, Geoff Gilbert, Stephanie Tucker, Jeff McClish and Steve Wendling also teach classes.
Holland and the other officers reach hundreds of students each year through the D.A.R.E. program. He says D.A.R.E. officials constantly update the curriculum to keep the material interesting to students.
“I have seen the D.A.R.E. program help a lot of kids through the years in the decision-making process,” Holland said. “That is one of my motivations for staying in it because I know the program can give kids some valuable information to make good decisions, and that is what it is all about.”
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