B. Warren Cocke, former chief of the San Bernardino Police Department, and current vice president of the San Bernardino Municipal Water Department Board of Water Commissioners, died April 15, 2014 at St. Bernardine Medical Center after a brief illness. He was 86 years old.
“Warren devoted his life to the service of his country and his community,” said Stacey Aldstadt, general manager of San Bernardino Municipal Water Department. “The city has lost a tireless public servant and a true treasure.”
A San Bernardino native, Cocke spent the majority of his life locally, attending Pomona High School and San Bernardino Valley College before moving on to California State University Los Angeles and then Southwestern University Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctorate. As a young man of 17, he joined the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific during World War II.
Cocke’s career in public service spanned seven decades; he joined the San Bernardino Police Department in 1952, working his way up to chief of police after 26 years with the department. He also served as a security director for Stater Brothers Markets for more than 11 years, and taught police courses at San Bernardino Valley College for over a decade.
He served in a number of elected and appointed capacities for the City of San Bernardino, as Planning Commissioner, as a member of the Civil Service Commission, and then, in 1994, on the Board of Water Commissioners. Cocke remained at his post on the Water Board for 20 years, serving as president and vice president, the position he held at the time of his death. He built an extensive knowledge of water issues during his tenure, representing San Bernardino on the Colton/San Bernardino Regional Tertiary Treatment and Water Reclamation Joint Powers Authority, and on the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Advisory Commission on Water Policy.
“It was a true privilege to serve beside Warren,” said Toni Callicott, president of the San Bernardino Board of Water Commissioners. “He inspired us with his knowledge, professionalism and selfless dedication to his community. San Bernardino will dearly miss him.”
Source: City of San Bernardino
