Assistant Commissioner Dick Adams joined the NSW Police in February 1071, spending the early years of his career in the metropolitan area. He transferred to Kempsey in 1975, to Wellington in 1986 and then to the NSW Police Academy at Goulburn in 1988.

Between 1994 - 1996 Assistant Commissioner Adams worked as the staff officer operations in North West Region, before moving to Blacktown as patrol commander. He was appointed Macquarie Region Commander in 1997 and City East Region Commander in 1999.

Assistant Commissioner Adams was called up for national service shortly after joining the NSW Police, and served as a commissioned officer in the Australian Army and the Army Reserve.

In 1998 Assistant Commissioner Adams received the National Medal for 15 year's police service. In 1994, he was awarded the Reserve Force Decoration for service in the Army Reserve. And in 1997, he received the First Clasp to the National Medal for 25 year's police service.

In 1999, Assistance Commissioner Adams was awarded the Australian Police Medal.

Assistant Commissioner Adams has been the operational commander of most of the major activities in the state since 1998, including the waterfront dispute, Y2K project, Celebrations, several significant New Year's Eve celebrations, the Royal Visit, Corroboree 2000 and was one of the operational commanders for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

A NSW Police counter terrorist operational commander, he directed the response to last year's anthrax threat. Assistant Commissioner Adams is also the Deputy State Emergency Operations Controller and chair of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.

In 1985, Assistant Commissioner Adams was a member of a Rotary Group Study Exchange Team to Israel, sponsored by Kempsey West Rotary Club.

In 1987, he was awarded the Prince of Wales award for "outstanding leadership in the Defence Force Reserves". As a Prince of Wales Fellow, he studied at the Police Staff College, Bramshill in England, and with the British Army.