Episode 91 retired United States Customs Special Agent Bob Starkman

Interview with retired United States Customs Special Agent Bob Starkman

Years of Service: 1980-2018

Bob began his career in law enforcement in 1980 as a correctional officer at Greenhaven State Prison in New York. From there he worked for the NYC Sheriff's Office that he described as the worst job he ever had.

In 1982, Bob was hired as a U.S. Customs Patrol Officer before transferring to Miami and being promoted to Special Agent. Bob was in Miami during the Cocaine Wars and investigated high-level drug traffickers and worked on several large-scale money laundering cases including Operation Greenback.

During his career, Bob worked on the FIST Team, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the response group for Miami International Airport.

As busy as he was catching criminals, Bob started coaching basketball in 1997 and continued until 2018. During this period, Bob amassed a coaching record of 319-186, won 2 conference championships, coached 59 All-Americans, 8 All-State players, 5 All-Americans, and 2 Players of the Year. Bob was inducted into the FCCAA Hall of Fame as a coach and is the author of the book "Inside Both Courts". When asked how he managed to become a decorated law enforcement agent and a Hall of Fame coach and manage his time between the two careers, Bob said if "I knew that I'd be a millionaire".

Chapters:
00:00 The McDonald's Incident
00:47 Introducing Bob Stockman
00:58 Bob's Book: Inside Both Courts
02:51 Early Life and Family Background
03:23 High School and College Basketball
04:02 Path to Law Enforcement
04:55 First Job as a Correctional Officer
05:25 Two-Day Wonder Training
05:50 Experiences at Greenhaven State Prison
09:00 Transition to City Correction
11:15 Special Housing Unit at Rikers Island
11:55 Differences Between Facilities
12:36 Handling Inmates and Scary Encounters
16:30 Encounter with NYC Sheriffs
18:17 Joining U.S. Customs
22:03 Training and Early Assignments
22:48 Operation Greenback and Money Laundering
23:32 Working with the FIST Team
32:07 Handling Large Sums of Money
35:11 Challenges and Jealousy in the Job
35:33 Internal Affairs Investigations
38:05 Undercover Work and Control Deliveries
39:44 Joining the Joint Terrorism Task Force
42:04 Life After 9/11
43:39 Reflecting on the Career Path
44:22 Early Career and Initial Experiences
44:35 Joining the JTTF Task Force
45:29 The Miramar Mosque Incident
47:11 Internal Affairs Investigation
48:44 Seven-Year Ordeal with Internal Affairs
50:43 Transfer to Fort Lauderdale
52:01 Punishment and Transfer to the Airport
53:59 Challenges at the Airport
54:51 Controlled Delivery Gone Wrong
56:57 Deciding to Retire
57:14 Legacy Customs vs. Merged Customs
58:27 Transition to Coaching
59:03 Coaching Philosophy and Early Experiences
59:42 Becoming a College Coach
01:00:25 Balancing Coaching and Law Enforcement
01:01:35 Lessons from Law Enforcement in Coaching
01:03:10 Coaching Achievements and Success
01:06:05 Leadership and Mentorship
01:08:33 Coaching Philosophy and Player Relationships
01:09:23 Changes in Player Attitudes Over Time
01:13:16 Coaching Men vs. Women
01:15:17 Impact of NIL and Transfers on College Sports
01:16:15 Qualities of a Good Player
01:17:25 Personal Coaching Mentors
01:20:24 Life Lessons and Near-Death Experience