On August 11, 2021, Sergeant John Bullard died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty during the Pandemic.

Sergeant Bullard began his career with the Independence Police Department in 1975 as a civilian dispatcher. He became a commissioned police officer in 1977 after graduating from the Kansas City Regional Police Academy serving in many areas to include the traffic unit, the motorcycle unit, and the accident investigation unit.

Sergeant Bullard was promoted to sergeant in 1995 and assigned to the department's patrol division. In 1998, he transferred to the police K-9 unit and became the unit supervisor. During his time in the K-9 unit, his team, developed the unit into a program that earned recognition as one of the premier canine training facilities in the Midwest.

After leaving the department's K-9 unit, he transferred to the Detective unit where he became one of the unit Detective Sergeants until his retirement in 2011.

After retirement, he remained very active in the Independence Police Department's reserve unit while simultaneously working as Director of Safety and Security for the Community of Christ Church International Headquarters, where he had previously volunteered on the World Conference security team and was also President of the Community of Christ Professional Law Enforcement Officers Association. He continued to hold this position until his death.

Sergeant Bullard was active in the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #1 where he served as lodge President and Secretary. He also served as the National Trustee, Vice President and President for the State Lodge. Other associations John was active in included; The Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Advisory Council; The North American Working Dog Association and was currently working as an adjunct instructor with the Western Missouri Public Safety Regional Training Institute.

Sergeant Bullard served with the Independence Police Department for 44 years. He is survived by his wife, parents, a daughter, a son, two step-daughters, and ten grandchildren.