Richard S. Bryce Is Named Undersheriff

Assistant Sheriff Richard S. Bryce will take over as second-in-command of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department beginning July 4, Sheriff Larry Carpenter announced Friday.

The promotion of Bryce, 48, to the undersheriff position vacated in January by Carpenter is the first step in a department reorganization expected to save the county more than $500,000 next year, officials said.

Under the plan, the two assistant sheriff positions will be eliminated and eight divisions will consolidate into four. By July 1, four chief deputies will be appointed to head the new divisions.

Bryce began working for the sheriff’s department in 1966 as a patrolman in Camarillo, when only two deputies per shift were assigned to the city, he said.

“Once a shift, a sergeant would come from Ventura and pick up our reports, and that was the only supervision we saw,” Bryce said.

In his new role, Bryce said he looks forward to working with patrol divisions. As assistant sheriff for the past six years, Bryce has supervised the courts, the jail and administrative services.

As undersheriff, Bryce will earn $85,149, compared to his current salary of $79,221. Bryce lives in Santa Paula with his wife, Loretta. They have two grown children.