BOB A. RICKS

Year Inducted: 2011

Bob A. Ricks was born in Houston, Texas, and received his Juris Doctorate degree from Baylor Law School in 1969. Ricks began his law enforcement career in 1969, serving twenty-six years in federal law enforcement, rising from the position of special agent to special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Oklahoma. During his career he served as Chief Counsel and Senior Inspector for DEA for three years, founded the New Jersey Terrorism Task Force which led to arrests of domestic terrorists responsible for bombings in the United States. President Reagan appointed him to lead "Operation Goldenrod" to address international terrorism and named deputy assistant director responsible for all FBI investigations of domestic and international terrorists. He supervised the FBI's undercover operation, "ABSCAM," which led to the conviction of one US Senator and five congressmen. He helped lead the US response to the downing of Pan Am flight 103.

In 1993 he was the press spokesman and coordinator of negotiators during the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco and served as the initial incident commander of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. In September 1995 Ricks was appointed commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and cabinet secretary for Safety and Security. On February 21, 2002, he was appointed director of homeland security for the State of Oklahoma by Governor Frank Keating. On October 20, 2003, Ricks was named Chief of Police for the City of Edmond and presently serves in that capacity. He is an active member of Henderson Hills Baptist Church, Edmond Rotary, and numerous local civic groups. He is a council member of CLEET, a Life Member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a member of IACP's Homeland Security Committee, and a former Chairman of the Metro Area Chiefs' Association. Mr. Ricks is also a Ronald Reagan Alumni Association member; Bob is married to Janis and has two children and five grandchildren.

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