“We like to snorkel and he likes doing whatever we are doing with us. So I thought, ‘let’s figure out a way to let him snorkel with us.’”
Three days a week, Marlene Willis walks into the LAPD’s West LA station ready to work. She reviews police reports, makes notes and checks grammar. She has been doing this for 22 years. She is 90 years old.
What you might not realize about Marlene Willis is that she’s famous actor Bruce Willis’ mom. But she has never traded on her son’s fame at the station.
In fact, she never mentions Bruce or involves him in her work there. The only hint of her famous son is her computer screensaver, which shows Bruce Willis hugging her.
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Former LAPD Chief Michel Moore, now retired and living in Tennessee, called Willis the volunteer he will never forget in an interview with NBC Los Angeles.
And he takes note of her quiet independence.
“She was never one to wear her identity as his mother on her sleeve or even involve him in even passing references of her life, which impressed me,” he said.
Bruce Willis’ Mom Is an Icon at the LAPD
At 90, Marlene Willis has built something entirely her own at the West LA station — a legacy defined not by a famous last name but by 22 years of showing up, reviewing reports, offering hugs and treating a police station like home.
Her example speaks for itself: purpose has no expiration date. And to the officers who know her simply as “Mrs. Willis,” she is irreplaceable.
“Mrs. Willis is a very integral part of West Los Angeles and the LAPD. She is an icon here,” said Captain Rich Gabaldon, the West LA Station commanding officer.
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Willis volunteers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, according to NBC Los Angeles. Her duties are specific and practical — the kind of steady, detail-oriented work that keeps a busy police station running smoothly.
Reviewing reports and catching grammatical errors may sound modest on paper, but officers at the West LA station say they don’t know what they’d do without her.
Her contributions, however, extend well beyond paperwork. When officers return from difficult incidents, Mrs. Willis often approaches them and gives them a hug. Officers say her presence alone puts smiles on their faces.
For Willis, the motivation is simple and deeply felt.
“I want to help so much, so much. You have no idea. You cannot imagine how much I want to help,” she said.
Mrs. Willis Is More Than a Volunteer — She’s Family
What stands out most about Willis’s story is not just the longevity of her service but the depth of connection she has built within the station.
Over more than two decades, she has woven herself into the fabric of daily life at West LA — and the officers have become something profoundly personal to her.
“This is my family. I mean that 100%,” Willis said, referring to the LAPD.
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That sense of belonging runs both ways.
“I think she means the very best of people that are individuals who believe in the work that our men and women do,” Moore said.
Mrs. Willis Earns LAPD Volunteer of the Year
Willis has been named the LAPD Volunteer of the Year in the past. But one honor stood apart: Moore presented her with an official LAPD badge as a special recognition of her service.
“While I can’t make her a cop, I can at least give her the greatest symbol of what it means to be a cop. And that is a badge of the law center police department,” Moore said.
He went further in expressing what her years of service meant to the department.
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“Marlene, there are people in our lives that when you cross their path; they leave a lasting impression. You are one that has risen to the top of one of the best impressions. To you and the work you do, we will be forever grateful,” Moore said.
