Remembering MHPD: Mario Reyes

Editor's Note: This is the first of four articles from a series of interviews with some of the Mendota Heights Police Department's most experienced officers. The series will run this week, in honor of the department's 50th anniversary.

The  celebrated 50 years of service on June 1.

Investigator Mario Reyes had been with the department for 34 of them.

Reyes interned with the department in 1978 before being hired as a patrol officer in 1981. He was 21 years old.

During his early days on the force, Reyes looked so young that concerned citizens sometimes questioned his authority when he arrived at their door to respond to service calls.

On more than one occasion, a youthful Reyes was forced to call for backup to verify that he was, in fact, an officer.

Today, Reyes is the only remaining member of a group of officers hired in the early '80s who is still serving on the force.

“This career goes really quick,” said Reyes. “I’ve enjoyed what I’ve done and I hope, in some people’s lives, I’ve made a difference.”

Reyes spent 15 years as a patrol officer before becoming an investigator.

His second case on the investigative team was a homicide, the second in city history. The department convicted two people for the crime.

“You try to find some resolve for the people,” said Reyes. “You get the bad guy and you’re able to put him away.”

Reyes is also responsible for starting the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) in Mendota Heights.

For the past 23 years, Reyes has been the city’s D.A.R.E. officer, teaching fifth graders at about the dangers of drug use, and working to make law enforcement more accessible for the students.

However, working on the MHPD also has its quirkier side.

“I’ve always tried to keep my sense of humor,” said Reyes.

He recalled when a woman called to report space aliens in her house. Reyes arrived on the scene with a fellow officer, who proceeded to the attic where the aliens were allegedly occupying.

Reyes’ colleague simulated the space creatures with his flashlight and mimicked the sound of a stun gun, before descending from the attic and reporting that he’d taken care of the situation.

This was one of many instances when Reyes turned to his fellow officers for guidance. Reyes said he has long been inspired by the composure, compassion, logic and common sense of his colleagues.

During more serious moments, Reyes said he has conducted himself as a policeman under the motto “Be tough when you have to be, be compassionate when you can.” It's a phrase he first heard from a former homicide detective and law enforcement instructor at Inver Hills Community College, Reyes’ alma mater.

Since Reyes graduated and joined the department, the MHPD has incorporated more technology, and is now better equipped to protect the city he has watched grow over the years.

“It’s unique to be able to see where we were before to where we’ve come now,” said Reyes, of the anniversary. “It shows the history and the past of the city.”

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter