Volunteer Staff

Jim Pryce was born March 26,1936 to James H (Doc) Pryce , Sr and Ruth Pryce in Bartlesville, Oaklahoma.  He lived there until 1944 toward the end of World War II when he moved with his mother, Father and Sister, Pat to Fresno California.

Jim attended St Johns Elementary, San Joaquin Memorial Middle School and High School.  Prior to his junior year his family moved to the Easton area and he completed his junior and senior years at Washington Union High School, graduating in 1954.  After high school graduation, he enrolled at Fresno City College.

Jim joined the USAF on November 4, 1955 and was sent to Parks Air Force Base near Pleasanton, California for basic Training.  He completed Basic Training in February 1956.  He was then sent to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi to attend Airborne Radio Tech Training.  After completion of this training, he was assigned to the 15^th Air Force at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California in 1956.  As March Air Force then phased out its Airborne Radio Operators, he was discharged as A/1C on April 1, 1960and he returned to Fresno with his family.

On July 1, 1961 Jim joined the Fresno City Police Department, Jim had many assignments including as a patrolman, Special Enforcement Unit, Traffic Bureau as a Motorcycle Officer.  He was promoted to Sergeant and was assigned to Records as the manager overseeing the Division.

He was later assigned to Planning & Research as a Sergeant and was sent to numerous schools to familiarize himself with the concepts of computerization to convert the Department from Manual Finance to Automation.  He also converted the department telephone PBX switchboard phone system to a modern Centrex telephone system.

This ten led to another project where he went to school with the Los Angeles Police Department Computer Division to develop, and start up the City of Fresno’s first 911 computer aided Dispatch Center.

As a Lieutenant Jim was assigned to the department of Patrol, Detectives, was Commander of Narcotics, Vice, Intelligence and SWAT.  He was assigned as Patrol Commander to the Northwest Policing area where he worked until retirement.

Jim has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology from Fresno State University. I addition, in 1984 he attended the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virgina for three months.  On his return to Fresno, he was assigned as the Commander of Traffic Division for four years and he was to hire fifteen new motorcycle officers, to bring the squad to twenty -five, and to purchase additional motorcycles and establish the first DUI checkpoint program, all which was part of the new Traffic Grant he had written.

Jim has always been involved in helping the community, belonging to many organizations including the International Footprinters Association.  He has also been a member of the Fresno Elks Lodge#439 form forty years during which he has held many officed including the Exalted Ruler Position three separate times.  He also currently volunteers at the Veterans Memorial Museum.

Jim has been married for 66+ years to his wife Rochelle, since March 26, 1958.  They have been blessed with 3 children, 7 grand-children, 15 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.