(La Porte County, IN) - A longtime member of the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office Maintenance Garage is hanging up his wrenches.
Chief Fleet Technician Bob Parks has retired after 43 years of service. Parks began his career with the Sherriff’s Department in January of 1983. Over the course of four decades, the department said, he completed thousands of oil changes, brake jobs, tire replacements, and countless other repairs that come with maintaining a busy law enforcement fleet. Parks served under six different sheriffs and helped oversee the transition into a new service facility on Zigler Road.
Beyond the daily operations of the garage, Bob worked tirelessly to coordinate the purchasing, outfitting, striping, wiring, and preparation of hundreds of new agency vehicles. While much of Bob’s work occurred out of the public eye, every deputy who climbed behind the wheel of a patrol vehicle benefited from his dedication and craftsmanship. The Sherriff’s Office said Parks made himself available to the Patrol Division 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His commitment to the agency never stopped when the workday ended.
“Through it all, one principle never changed—” said the LCSO in a statement, “no vehicle left the garage if it still had a safety issue. Ensuring deputies had safe, reliable vehicles to perform their duties was always Bob’s highest priority.”
Major Patrick Cicero praised Parks’ efforts. “Bob’s commitment cannot be measured simply by the years he served,” Cicero said. “He took tremendous pride in his work, always putting the safety of our deputies first, and was someone we could depend on at any hour of the day. His experience, work ethic, and dedication will be greatly missed.”
Sheriff Ronald C. Heeg also expressed his gratitude. “Bob devoted more than four decades to keeping our fleet safe, reliable, and mission ready. His professionalism, integrity, and dedication have had a lasting impact on this agency and every deputy who has driven one of our vehicles. We are incredibly grateful for his service and wish Bob and Patti nothing but the very best in retirement together.”
Parks and his wife Patti plan to spend the days ahead working on Bob’s to-do list around the house, attending grandchildren’s activities, and traveling.
