I first met Joe Mokwa immediately after he had graduated from the police academy. I had just returned to the department after a stint in the corporate world. It was January, 1972. We rode together a couple of times and then became permanent partners. Joe had a work ethic I had never seen in another police officer. He was also the most dedicated cop I ever knew. In 1980, headquarters was concerned because we had several “Contracts” on our lives from underworld figures and had been confirmed by intelligence. Joe went into the intelligence unit and I went to the Circuit Attorney’s Special Investigation Unit, (S.I.U.). We have remained friends since. Later, I started VLS at home and it grew to the point that I took early retirement to run it full time in 1985. Joe went on to be, in my opinion, the best chief of police in St. Louis history! He retired about a year ago, and Thursday, June 3rd, 2010, he came to spend the afternoon at my house. We had been detectives since 1973 and this photo was taken in 1976. Many of the kids in the area called us Starsky and Hutch!

A very different pair of dudes in 2010, 34 years later. Don’t you agree?

Those were the best years of our lives, we were like brothers and remain so today!

Bob