A Cop’s Journey Through a Changing World

After serving in Vietnam, Bobby Richards thought he’d left the jungles and adversaries behind, but becoming an Oakland cop proved to be a life-altering career choice. The world had transformed during his time spent in Southeast Asia. The poodle skirt was replaced by the mini, work jeans had become flowered bell-bottoms, and the beatnik had morphed into a hippie. The foliage was replaced with concrete and the bamboo with high-rises. As a cop, Bobby encounters the best and worst of humanity. Later in life, as he reflects on his career as both a cop and a prison chaplain, he knows that his greatest challenge is yet to come-facing Death Row inmates inside San Quentin State Prison.