Fruitland Park’s interim police chief is about to get a new title.
As of April 1, longtime Police Department employee Erik Luce will discard the words “interim” in his title and take on the role as the agency’s top cop.
“I’ve been working at it for the last six months and what I’ve noticed is that the guys are all doing their jobs,” Luce said. “And as long as I’ll do mine, everything is fine.”
Luce became interim chief this past September after former Chief Michael Fewless was forced to temporarily step down because of an issue with the Florida Retirement System (FRS). The commission officially parted ways with Fewless in October and Luce has been serving as the interim chief ever since.
At Thursday night’s commission meeting, City Manager Gary La Venia said it was time to promote Luce to a position he deserves.
“Erik has done a fine job,” La Venia said. “And he’s certainly earned the job to be our police chief.”
Mayor Chris Cheshire agreed.
“Chief Luce has done an outstanding job,” he said. “I am confident he will serve Fruitland Park and its citizens with distinction.”
For his part, Luce said he’s very excited about his new role. He said Fewless really helped him a great deal when he served as a captain in the number two spot in the department, even going so far as to send him to a school for future chiefs.
“He had been telling me, ‘You’ll do fine. You’re doing the job,’” Luce said. “I wasn’t sure, but what I found out is that you just need to make smart decisions. Look at the facts that are placed in front of you and base it off what’s best for the city, what’s fair for the citizens and what’s keeping our officers safe.”
Prior to joining the Fruitland Park Police Department in November 2012, Luce spent 11 years with the Eustis Police Department, where he served as a sergeant in the criminal investigations unit. He also worked for Wal-Mart as a manager in asset protection. But he knew deep down that police work was his passion, so when the opportunity came to join the Fruitland Park Police Department as a reserve officer, he jumped at it.
Two months later, he took a permanent position in road patrol, and from there worked his way up through the ranks. He opened the investigations division at the Moyer Recreation Center Annex in The Villages in October 2016 when serving as a detective, then moved up to lieutenant and captain to serve as the second in command of the department.
Luce said his priorities going forward are to make sure his department is connected very tightly with the community it serves.
“I want them to be visible,” he said of his officers, adding that’s he encourages them to park in open areas to complete their reports so residents can stop and ask them questions or seek help if they need it. “I want them to ride through neighborhoods with their windows down, because otherwise you can’t hear that kid yelling for help. We’re not on a Sunday drive. We’re on the job.
“We want to make sure that our citizens know that we’re out there for them. We’re listening and looking. If you have a concern, just tell us.”
Luce said he also wants to raise the profile of the department so that it becomes a place officers seek out. He said the fact that the city has provided nice equipment, competitive pay and the chance to enroll in FSR is a huge plus.
“I want this to be the place that’s first on the list,” he said. “I would love for guys to say, ‘That’s the department to work for.’”
Luce said one way to achieve that important goal is for all of the officers in the department to work closely together as a team.
“We need to be helping each other on cases and supporting each other,” he said. “Once you show that camaraderie, it just becomes a healthy department.”
Luce said he’s also looking forward to working closely with the five city commissioners and showing them that he is quite budget-conscious and protective of the taxpayers’ money.
“We’re not here to look like the coolest people in the world riding around pretty. We just need the equipment to do the job,” he said. “So I want to build that rapport with our commission so that they understand that I’m not going to stand up there and ask for unnecessary stuff.”
As for those under his command, Luce said he’s found them to be excellent officers with a desire to do a great job for the citizens of Fruitland Park.
“Our officers all have a great heart for law enforcement,” he said. “They’re out there doing a job and they’re carrying the load for me. They don’t complain, they work hard and they’re dependable. They all want to be cops.”
In the past six months, Luce said he’s seen some excellent police work from his officers. And he added that’s quite proud to be serving as the leader of such a fine group of people.
“You want to brag about them,” he said. “They know we’re here for the community. I would say it’s a very well-oiled machine and it’s working. When we support each other, the rest of it comes easy.”
Luce has two children, 25-year-old Marah and 20-year-old Cooper. His father, Doug, is a retired 35-year firefighter. His mother, Sally, served many years as a church secretary. His brother, Todd, is a captain with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. And his sister, Gina Farr, lives in Sanford.
