Early Life & Military Career
Assistant Chief David L. Reaves was born and raised in Burlington, North Carolina. Prior to joining the Marshall Police Department, he graduated from Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, North Carolina. After graduating, he joined the United States Air Force (USAF) where he served as a Security Specialist from January 1983 until December 1992. During his tour of duty, Assistant Chief Reaves was stationed in the continental U.S. and in Europe. He is a graduate of the USAFs Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Preparatory Course, NCO Leadership School, Air Base Ground Defense, and it’s Base Installation Security Systems School. During his time in the Air Force, Assistant Chief Reaves has been awarded his squadrons’ Airman of the Quarter, NCO of the Quarter, and in 1985 he was selected as the Outstanding Police Officer for his squadron.
Police Career
Since joining the Marshall Police Department in February 1993, Assistant Chief Reaves has had the opportunity to work in several different divisions. He began his career as a patrolman in the Patrol Division from 1993 until 1995. In the summer of 1995, he was assigned to the Marshall Police Department’s Violent Crime Unit. This specialized unit was tasked with identifying and suppressing gang activity and narcotic investigations.
Unified Narcotics Investigation Team (U.N.I.T.)
Assistant Chief Reaves remained with the Violent Crimes Unit as it transitioned into the Unified Narcotics Investigation Team (U.N.I.T.). The U.N.I.T. was composed of narcotic investigators from the Marshall Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office. The U.N.I.T. was instrumental in addressing the narcotic problem in Harrison County. As a narcotics investigator, Assistant Chief Reaves conducted multi-agency investigations with the F.B.I., D.E.A., A.T.F., D.P.S., and other local agencies.
Promotion & Move to Patrol
In 2001, Reaves was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division as a Patrol Sergeant. He was responsible for the day to day operation of the officers assigned to his shift. He held this position until July 2006 when he transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division as a Property Crime Supervisor. During his assignment, his primary duty was to investigate burglaries and thefts. He also assisted in homicides and violent crimes investigations.
In 2009, Reaves was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and reassigned to Patrol Division as a Shift Supervisor. As a Lieutenant, he supervised a Sergeant and as many as ten officers under his command. He served in this capacity until 2012, when he was promoted to the rank of Captain. In 2021, he was promoted to Assistant Chief, and is commander of Criminal Investigation Division and Records Division.