“Officer Bob” celebrates reaching 90 years old

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - A retired police officer and trailblazer celebrated a huge milestone this past weekend.

Bob Pickens — or as he was known as “Officer Bob” — celebrated his 90th birthday this past weekend. Pickens was joined by family and members of the Parkersburg Police Dept. for the big occasion.

Pickens served a total of 37 years as an officer in many different functions. Including as an honor guard, in the traffic division and as one of the first officers to be placed in schools.

Parkersburg police chief, Matt Board said that Officer Bob is a man ahead of his time.

“What Officer Bob, or what Officer Pickens did was ingenuitive and innovative for its time. Now we have officers in every junior high and every high school. He was doing that decades before that was even a program. And in talking with him because he knew the importance of connecting with the younger kids and being a positive role model from a young age,” says Board.

Officer Bob also has his own children’s book with coloring, puzzles and brain teasers.

Some of the other responsibilities Pickens had were public relations, evidence custodian and escorting President Reagan along with other elected officials and celebrities.

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