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March 18, 2011 (San Diego) -- His phone rings in the middle of the night. He works around the clock tracking down killers. Now after 29 years on the job, Lt. Dennis Brugos is trading in his badge for the laid-back lifestyle of a retiree. His last day is on March 30th.
Lt. Brugos came face-to-face with many horrendous crimes during his time on the force. His work is difficult, but he says nothing is more gratifying than bringing a killer to justice and closure to families who have lost loved ones.
The cases he has helped solved are too many to list, but one that has touched him the most is the murder of Chelsea King. The disappearance of the McStay family from their Fallbrook home is a case that still baffles him to this day.
He was a San Diego Police Officer from 1974 to 1978. He came to the Sheriff’s Department in 1982. Like most deputies, he started in detentions then out on patrol in Santee. He moved into Investigations in Poway in 1988 and later joined Homicide in 1991. He grew up in Chicago before moving to San Diego. He and his family live in the El Cajon area.
Co-workers describe Lt. Brugos as a true gentleman and talented investigator who has a hidden talent for making people laugh and drawing caricatures.
“Dennis has achieved an investigative excellence admired by deputies and officers around the State,” commented Sheriff Bill Gore. “He has always been a very successful investigator and he will be greatly missed.”
Starting on March 31st, Lt. Brugos will no longer have to sit in a locked room with suspected killers. Instead, he can take uninterrupted classes at the YMCA and spend more time with his grandchildren.
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