JUPITER INLET COLONY

POLICE DEPARTMENT

John Pruitt was appointed as Acting Chief of Police in March of 2013 and confirmed as Chief of Police on October 15th, 2013 by a unanimous vote of the Town Commission.  Chief Pruitt has a B.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management from Columbia College where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.  He served honorably in the U. S. Coast Guard from 1985 to 1989.  He was stationed on a high endurance Coast Guard cutter, the USCGC Taney, out of Portsmouth, Virginia for two years.  During John's tour of duty on the Taney, in one 1985 drug bust, Taney seized a record 160 tons of marijuana and John was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for his participation in the operation.  John served the last two years of his enlistment at Marine Safety Office, Miami, FL and was instrumental in implementing the port security program from Key West to Fort Pierce, FL.  John received the Commandant's Letter of Commendation for his exemplary service upon his honorable discharge in 1989.  

John Pruitt
Chief of Police

(561) 746-3787
pruittj@jicpolice.org 

Chief of Police

John attended the Kentucky Criminal Justice Police Academy in 1989 and worked for his hometown Police Department in Ashland, Kentucky for one year.  He was hired by Boynton Beach Police and moved back to Florida in January 1990.  John worked road patrol until 1993, when he was promoted to a D.A.R.E. Officer position.  He taught 20 classes per week at Congress Middle School.  He subsequently became certified to teach gang resistance programs and continued teaching in the middle school until he was hired by Palm Beach County School District Police in 1995.  John served on President Clinton's security detail when he visited the Jupiter area in the late 90's.  John created and instructed the Junior Police Akidemy program in the Riviera Beach schools and was named Red Ribbon Officer of the Year for Palm Beach County in 1997 for his drug prevention efforts in the schools.  In late 1995, John began working in the Palm Beach County Youth Court Program where he worked in the Teen Court program initially and then coordinated the Teen Arbitration program.  In July, 2007, John was hired by the Jupiter Inlet Colony Police Department.  John is currently the Chief of Police, Webmaster, and a Law Enforcement Firearms and General Instructor.  Chief Pruitt was honored in two separate ceremonies as 2012 Gulfstream Council "Learning for Life" Police Officer of the Year and 2012 ASIS Community Policing Officer of the Year for Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties.