TRIBUTE TO Col. Lemuel Eden Augustine Reeves, Former CID Boss ONE YEAR TODAY

Break, Break, Break, UNIT 105 Central x3, 105 Central 10-2, 10-4 Bossi. Central 10-25, R-6 and X-RAY to interface with Ranch – Roger, 105-10-4. Central Ranch x3 –Central go ahead, Ranch Lima-Charlie. Ranch hit Unit 105 on the 10-21, ROGER, Central. R-1, my 10-20 is uniform Lima proceed to Alpha Foster Lama there is a bravo – Lima Charlie. 55 bravo confirmed Tango-Five. Bravo taken to Jungle Foster Kilo.
Col. Lemuel Eden Augustine Reeves…. This is a classic communication scenario we went through for the 30-20-10 years we spent together at the LNP. The Great LEM , as you were affectionately called by most of us at the LNP/CID, no doubt of all Criminal investigators of our time you are indeed the greatest from ; Henry Lanford, Jacob Nimely, Suku Wesseh, Nicholas Perkins ‘Abedi Pele’, who came , saw , did theirs and went ahead of you. Joseph Blamo, Varlee Keita, Abraham Kroman, Joseph Flomo, Nathanuel Hodge, Simeon Frank, Charles Blake, William Mulbah and Steve Zargo, are still around but, you are indeed the greatest. You were born to be a cop and you died as a cop – you are a Law Enforcement Practitioner per Excellence.

You refused several appointments that were not security related. You even refused to be Inspector General because you did not want to leave the law enforcement terrain. You argued that the higher you go up the ladder of law enforcement, the likelihood you will hold political position and you may most likely be on your way out. And, as such you did not go for President Taylor’s offer to you as IGP, despite being his brother–in-law at the time.

You had always wanted to be THE CHIEF INVESTIGATOR, to remain in the bailiwick of the corridor of Ranch even to the annoyance of most of us who worked with you at the time, we knew if you could not be appointed as director none of us could be, primarily due to the order of merit, and our conviction that you were not, just a boss but, indeed a knowledgeable boss. Not a figure-headed person either. You were the champion of professional appointment in the CID, a champion of De- politicizing Law Enforcement. We had our own problem with you and, at time got annoyed with you for refusing political appointments.

Yes, a Law Enforcement brainchild. As chief investigator, you performed so well and not wanting unit -102 or 100 getting mad with the CID because of your love for the job; you could even do your subordinate job to avoid the CID from being criticized. All you could ask for was the verbal explanation, and you were prepared together with the agent to do THE INCIDENT REPORT, THE INITIAL REPORT, THE PROGRESS REPORT, THE INVESTIGATIVE, and THE PROSECUTION SUMMARY REPORT.
I am and, equally most of us past and current COPS are beneficiaries of your mastery in Law Enforcement work…. Especially report writing, interview and interrogation. You were the tallest tree that provided us the shadow in the law enforcement profession and your memory will forever remain with us.

When your sincerity was challenged as a result of change in Government, you were transferred to the police academy [NPTA] and those that passed through your hands at the academy are amongst the brightest today at the LNP.

When Law Enforcement started becoming more challenging and Lawyers started bombarding us on the witness stand during trials, you begin the crusade to professionalize Law enforcement / CID. You enrolled at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, and that decision was a turning point and most of us followed and I was next because I was your principal deputy then. You went at the law school not necessarily to be the best lawyer, but a prepared law enforcement executive and indeed you are a Law enforcement practitioner per excellence.

At the law school you came out with flying colors. Records at the Law schools are available to prove us right. Ironically the profession we all loved so much is normally not comfortable with young officers who strived to prepare themselves, you either became envious of unprepared higher ups, transferred or even relieved of your post. For you, like few of us, the Accra Peace Agreement was used to axe us from the profession we so much loved and prepared for as most of us were either deemed resigned or made to start as new recruits.

A situation few of us refused to do and by His special grace we had just graduated from the law school and UNMIL employed us as National Professionals and with all the immunities appertaining thereto. At UNMIL, your law enforcement skills; coupled with your legal knowledge saw you becoming highly cherished by our new bosses at UNMIL, Dr. Alfred Fofee and Fraser Hirst.

Carter Center came after you from UNMIL and with a better offer than what UNMIL was giving you. You took it and with this new responsibility you visited all of our political sub-divisions to conduct training for legal practitioners, law enforcement personnel and local government officials. In the midst of all of this, you had to come back home to a profession you so much loved —Law Enforcement. This is where you had wanted to be before giving up the ghost… the security sector, we salute you Bob LEM.

As Deputy Attorney General, You had to face me, Senator Zargo as Chair of the Senate Committee on DSI/VA whom you had mentored, for confirmation. Why couldn’t I not confirmed you my mental – your confirmation was not just an attestation of my appreciation for all you have done in Law Enforcement, but at the time of your confirmation you were the greatest Law enforcement practitioner as chairman of DSIVA had ever known — a security architect, a ballistics expert, a crime scene analyst, a certified fraud investigator, Auto-theft examiner , a burglary investigator of class – Bob, I AM NOT AWARE , Great LEM, Unit -300, Deputy Attorney General, Unit-105, R-1, R-2. Lima Alpha, the Chief Training officer, you are our greatest.

Peter Zaizay, Asatu Bah Kenneth, Robert Buddy, Munyan Tamba, Ceasar Forkay, Isaac Nimely, James Bannerman, Spencer R. Jackson, Theodore Simmonds, and those on TDY to LIS per your directive, join our association to say farewell…Bob.

The association of retired and former police professionals of Liberia that you were a founding-executive member will miss you … sleep well.