MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A retired Montgomery County assistant police chief who went on to lead the Charleston Police Department has died. The Montgomery County Police Department announced Luther T. Reynolds died of cancer on May 22. He was 56 years old.
Reynolds joined MCPD in 1988 and worked in the department for more than 30 years before leading the Charleston Police Department as chief.
"Chief Reynolds was a tremendous leader in Montgomery County, and he touched many people in our community beyond the police department,” said Chief Marcus Jones. “We all are deeply saddened by his passing, yet we know his legacy will live on with the impact he left as a humble and public servant. Our department is forever grateful to have had one of the greatest police leaders of our time.”
During his time with MCPD, Chief Reynolds held the ranks of patrol officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief. His previous assignments included district station commander, director of the personnel division, director of training & education, captain of the special events operations division, assistant chief of the administrative bureau and assistant chief of the patrol services bureau.
While assigned to the 5th District, Chief Reynolds received local and national attention for implementing the Drug Market Initiative Program, aimed at stopping drug activity in Damascus Gardens.
As captain of the Training and Education Division, Chief Reynolds created the Leadership Development Institute. He also played an integral role in acquiring and implementing body-worn cameras for MCPD. He also coordinated police response for a number of events ranging from Papal visits to the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.
Reynolds left MCPD in February 2018 and began working in Charleston in April of the same year.
He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in November 2021. He underwent a rigorous treatment plan that included surgery and chemotherapy and returned to work in February of 2022; however, one of his legs needed to be amputated.
Chief Reynolds returned to Maryland to serve as the keynote speaker for the MCPD 100th anniversary gala in July of 2022, where he gave a moving and inspirational speech on faith, hope, and compassion.
Reynolds entered hospice care last week as the cancer spread throughout his body.
On May 17, Chief Reynolds wrote a thank you letter to Charleston residents. Chief Reynolds ended his message by saying, “Now, as I set out on the final journey that God has planned for me, I’m thankful that I will be able to spend these days in the city I’ve come to love, surrounded by family and friends. It is the last great gift in a life that’s been full of them.”
He died on Monday, May 22, with his wife, Caroline, and his children, Grace and Luke, by his side.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Sarcoma Research Center.