New officer has east L.A. roots

Columbia Falls’ newest police officer is well on the way to his goal of making 1,000 traffic stops in his first six months on the job.

Officer Rafael Reyes has been with the force full-time since September and, so far, has made 670 traffic stops, written 369 tickets (including warnings), caught 40 suspended drivers and helped recover three stolen cars.

Reyes, who grew up in East Los Angeles, says that being cop was not always his goal when he was growing up.

“Cops are not looked upon well where I grew up. I thought the same way until I starting looking to what they actually do every day. The more I looked into, the more I fell in love with it,” he said.

After taking law enforcement classes at Glendale Community College in California, Reyes accepted scholarships to play soccer and run track for the University of Great Falls and made his first trip to Montana.

“I knew it was going to be rough. I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t even know where Montana is located and I had no idea where Great Falls was,” Reyes said. “We were on this tiny plane and when they said we were 20 minutes from landing, I looked out the window and wondering if we were going to land in a field.”

After a year in Great Falls, Reyes was switched to a full-time track and field scholarship. It was on the track that he met his future wife, Angela Tamburelli of Columbia Falls. After they were married, the couple moved back to Columbia Falls and Reyes began looking for a job in the law enforcement field.

After applying for more than a dozen patrol jobs, Reyes eventually took a job with the Flathead County Detention Center, where he spent two years before taking a patrol position with the Kalispell Police Department. The timing just wasn’t right for Reyes, though, who said he had a hard time juggling the hours and finding time to spend with his new daughter.

“My daughter was six months old and she didn’t know who I was. That kind of got to me, so I decided to leave the Kalispell force and make a switch,” Reyes said.

Reyes left the Kalispell PD after eight months on the job, but was soon offered a part-time patrol job in Columbia Falls.

While Reyes says the hours are still tough, but he enjoys the small-town atmosphere.

“I really like the community policing aspect of the job. I really get to know all of the people in the community,” he said. “You don’t really get to do that as an officer in a town the size of Kalispell.”

Reyes says he has been enjoying his time with the Columbia Falls Police Department and he is glad that he never gave up on his dream.

“I tell people, don’t quit. Someone will pick you up eventually if you have that commitment and that work ethic,” he said.