In memory of my friend Chief Luther Reynolds

The quote at the bottom of my email signature says, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou.

Chief Luther Reynolds made me feel valued, confident, and motivated. Yesterday, on Monday, May 22nd, he passed away at 56 after battling rare bone cancer. His wife Caroline and two children were beside him throughout his courageous journey. I am writing to share the lessons I learned from him and honor his legacy.

I met Chief Luther Reynolds in 2014, and he showed a keen interest in learning how district commanders and community policing officers used Nextdoor to build relationships, inform residents, and solve problems with the residents they served within their patrol areas. He was pivotal in implementing Nextdoor within the Montgomery County Police and the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. I was delighted to collaborate with him again when he became the Chief of Police in the City of Charleston, SC.

Over the years, Chief Luther Reynolds became my friend, and I greatly admired his leadership style, and he believed in and invested his time in my vision for community engagement. He served as a valuable sounding board for the strategies I introduced in the?Community-Centered Engagement Plan for Law Enforcement, which I proudly authored and published last year.?

While his passing is heartbreaking, I am immensely grateful for his contributions, compassion, and the positive impact he had on the profession of policing, his department, his community, and me.

Below are leadership qualities I observed and appreciated while working with Chief Reynolds:

• He actively sought input, involved others, and aimed to secure consensus when making course corrections or introducing new approaches. For instance, he always engaged internal stakeholders when implementing new communication methods or seeking community input.
• Chief Reynolds consistently acknowledged and appreciated behaviors from his officers that he wanted to foster as norms. He would often comment on posts made by district commanders and community officers on Nextdoor, expressing gratitude for their thoughtful communications.
• He was known for his honesty and transparency. On one occasion, I presented an idea I believed to be transformative, but Chief Reynolds took the time to explain why it wouldn't work and what conditions would be necessary for success.
• Chief Reynolds demonstrated grace and forgiveness. When my father passed away two years ago, and I was late in delivering a project, he extended grace and patience, reassuring me that he had always relied on my dedication and that I could rely on his support as I navigated my grief.
• Above all, Chief Reynolds had a way of leaving people better than he found them. Whether it was our conversations or meetings with his team, he consistently expressed appreciation for vision, hard work, and shared success.

To all those who are also grieving his loss, I invite you to remember the words that a friend shared with me a couple of years ago: "Grief is not something you get over; instead, it is something with which you learn to live."

Let's continue Chief Reynolds's legacy by serving one another and leading with dignity and love.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Joseph