Robert Shook

Written by Kevin Tipton

Eleven years ago, BOB SHOOK accompanied his wife, Veronica, to RSVP (The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program) where he learned that there were literally hundreds of programs in Sacramento seeking retirees. All were very interesting. Bob’s criteria for choosing volunteer work was simple. He wanted to blend his training and experience into the needs of the community.

During Bob’s career he worked on the development and testing of new weapon systems for the Department of Defense in Washington, DC. This resulted in him traveling the globe analyzing their effectiveness. After 25 years with the DOD, Bob moved to the US Department of Justice where he worked with police agencies around the country analyzing their operations and helping them procure federal grants for training and equipment. He worked for the Justice Department for 16 years, a total of 41 years of civil service.

Bob retired to Sacramento in 1991 because he liked the area after a trip here on behalf of the Justice Department. His entire life has involved security in one form or another...for the nation and then for local police agencies. It is little wonder that Bob gravitated to law enforcement volunteerism with the SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT. As of 2003 he has worked for three Police Chiefs. When Bob started there were only a handful of retirees. Many officers were skeptical about using seniors. However, Bob's dedication helped open the door for retirees within the department, and now there are many, all doing very interesting assignments.

Currently Bob volunteers 10 hours per week within the Department’s Office of Investigations. His work involves keeping track of the registration of sexual offenders since the passage of Megan's Law. Other projects have included putting together a list of key people who should be contacted in the event of a catastrophe or major natural disaster and helping develop a notebook that documented critical neighborhood information which officers need in an emergency, such as codes for entering gated communities or how to locate a specific apartment in a huge complex. He has also worked in Homicide answering phones at the “Threat Desk”.

Aside from the Police Department there are other notable projects Bob has worked on while serving Sacramento, including: the Utility Tax Rebate Program and the Sacramento Food Bank where he still compiles statistical data for the Food Bank’s Clothes Closet program. Bob’s retirement has been eventful, stimulating, rewarding and meaningful – just what a retirement should be.