Livingston County is mourning the loss of Bob Krichke, who served as police chief in both the Village of Fowlerville and Hamburg Township. After he retired from Hamburg Township in 2006, Krichke moved to Tennessee.
Krichke, 83, died Monday at the age of 83.
Before coming to Livingston County, Krichke was an officer in the Detroit Police Department. He joined the force in 1962 as a beat officer, responsible for an area about a half mile long, which he walked with a nightstick, gun and flashlight; it was there that he learned how to survive, he said in a 2006 interview in the Livingston County Press.
Krieche was also on duty in Detroit during the 1967 riots, in which 43 people were killed, nearly 1,200 injured, and more than 7,000 arrested after five days of violence.
During that time, Krichke said officers didn’t go home.
“You just did your job and didn’t think about it,” he said.
After the riots, Krichke joined the DPD’s mounted horse division. He spent seven months there before deciding he need to try something else.
“There wasn’t enough adventure or excitement for me, so I transferred … into the narcotics section.”
He was in charge of undercover and surveillance in the narcotics section; he also worked with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. He also became a sergeant during that time.
In 1970, Krieche had a hand in breaking one of the biggest drug cases in Detroit history. Police seized $289,000 in cash, nearly 8 pounds of heroin, 275 pounds of marijuana, 22 pounds of cocaine, nine vehicles and 44 weapons.
Twelve years later, Krichke traded in big city policing for the chief’s job in Fowlerville. During his 10 years there, he also served as the Fowlerville Village manager; he left both positions when the village disbanded its police force as it opted for a contract with the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department.
The move to get rid of its police department was a controversial one that left Krichke and his officers unemployed. In a story about the switch, Krichke said losing his job was “God’s will.”
“The Lord will lead me to something better,” Krichke said. “I’m not worried.”
After a stint as a Farm Bureau Insurance Agent, Krichke became the interim police chief in Hamburg Township in 1985; he became the permanent chief a short time later, serving until he retired in 2006.
Visitation for Krichke will be at the Herrmann Funeral Home, 1005 E. Grand River Ave. in Fowlerville. Visitation hours are 3-7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, and 10-11 a.m. Friday, March 8, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m., and burial at Greenwood Cemetery, 4350 Cemetery Road, Fowlerville, at 12:15 p.m.
You can read his obituary by clicking here.
