Montgomery County Detective
Michael J. Reynolds has committed his life to battling drug trafficking.
Reynolds, in March, was elected president of the Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers
Association, an organization that promotes cooperation and discussion of drug
law enforcement among police and their agencies statewide.
“I’ve been involved in the
organization since its inception in 1990,” Reynolds proudly told me when I
asked him about his recent election.
Since 1992, Reynolds has served in various positions with the association’s board of directors, including treasurer and sergeant of arms and vice president. The association has about 600 members statewide.
“Our purpose is to build
camaraderie with other narcotics officers and to promote training and
education,” Reynolds explained.
Reynolds began his law
enforcement career with the Philadelphia Police Department in 1982 where he
worked in the uniform patrol division until 1985 when he was transferred to the
city’s narcotics unit. In 1990, Reynolds moved to the Philadelphia District
Attorney’s Office where he was a detective with the Dangerous Drug Offender Unit
for 14 years.
Reynolds was hired as a
Montgomery County detective in January 2004 where he has been assigned to the Narcotics
Enforcement Team, or NET.
In his capacity as a police
officer and as a county detective, Reynolds, who is also an active member of
the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association, has been involved
in more than 1,000 drug arrests and investigations.
In February, Reynolds was the
lead detective during “Operation Snow and Ice Removal,” an investigation in
which 32 suspects allegedly involved in the trafficking of heroin, cocaine and
methamphetamine were rounded up and charged with various drug offenses. The
inception of the investigation was the result of the investigation of the
exportation of heroin from Columbia to the U.S., according to court documents.
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| Items seized during 'Operation Snow and Ice Removal' Mercury photo by Carl Hessler Jr. |
“It’s very rewarding. I’ve
always been interested in enforcing narcotics laws since I was a young man.
When I joined the Philadelphia Police Department my goal was to go to narcotics
as soon as possible,” Reynolds, who worked some of Philadelphia’s meanest
streets in the 1980s, told me.
The rewards of the job come in various forms, Reynolds said.
“It’s not just having the big
(drug) seizures involving kilos of cocaine and large sums of money,” said
Reynolds, adding the rewards also include helping others by cracking down on
dangerous drugs that lead to addictions and destroy lives. “Especially with the
heroin epidemic that we’re facing now where it’s affecting everybody’s lives. There
are some very good people who come from good families and they get addicted,
usually to oxycodone or Percocet, which unfortunately leads to heroin
addiction. That’s just completely destroying people’s lives.”
In county court, Reynolds has
been qualified as an expert witness in the use, manufacture, distribution and
illegal trafficking of controlled substances and has testified about the
clandestine manner in which drugs are manufactured, transported, sold,
distributed and used.
After witnessing his
testimony, it’s clear that Reynolds is has extensive knowledge about prices,
street slang and codes used in association with illegal drug distribution.
Reynolds is also a faculty
member of the Pennsylvania Top Gun Program, which is a narcotics training
curriculum that covers the tactical and investigative techniques of narcotics
investigations.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Lloyd, captain of the district attorney’s drug crimes prosecution unit, said Reynolds’ election as president of the association is well-deserved.
“Mike Reynolds is one of the
best detectives that we have here. We’re lucky to have him. We were lucky to
get him from Philadelphia. (His election) is just a statement to his hard work
throughout his career. We’re happy for him and support him,” said Lloyd, who
has worked closely with Reynolds during some high-profile drug investigations
and prosecutions.
Lloyd was “not the slightest
bit surprised” by Reynolds being elected to the post.
“He’s a great detective, very
thorough. His affidavits are very thorough, very complete. He really cares
about the job and that comes through with his work. You can tell he really
invests a lot of time in it and he’s excellent to work with,” Lloyd told me.
As a reporter, I’ve read some of Reynolds’ criminal complaints and indeed I found them concise, well-written and chock full of interesting details.
