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Robert “Bob” E. Blecha was born in Belleville,
Kansas, and raised on a farm north of Cuba, Kansas, in Republic
County. He attended Tabor School (a one-room country
schoolhouse, District #33) and in 1961 graduated from Belleville High
School, Belleville, Kansas. He attended college at Bethany College,
Lindsborg, Kansas; Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas; and
Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. He served in the United
States Army from 1964 until 1966. During his years of service, he was
stationed at various bases throughout the U.S. and abroad: Fort
Leonardwood, Missouri; Fort Ord, California; Fort Meade, Maryland;
Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Cam Rahn Bay, South Vietnam. While in
Vietnam, he served as a Chaplain’s Assistant with the 87th
Engineer Battalion (construction). In November 1966, he was elected
as Republic County Sheriff and took office in January 1967. At the
time he was 23 years of age and was the youngest sheriff in the
nation. He was fortunate to be re-elected 5 times to this office. In
October 1979, he resigned his post to begin a new career with the
Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). He was originally stationed in
Hays, Kansas. After being promoted to Special Agent Supervisor,
Special Services Division, in October 1994, he moved to KBI
Headquarters, Topeka, Kansas. In 1996, he graduated from the FBI
National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and was promoted to Assistant
Director of Field Investigations Division. Kansas Attorney
General Paul Morrison appointed him as the 11th Director of
the KBI in June 2007. He is excited about the future of the KBI
in keeping with its tradition of assisting law enforcement,
prosecutors and the citizens of Kansas. |
