Title: Lead Investigator
Company: Harlingen Police Department
Location: Texas
Career History: Lead Investigator (Hit & Run), Harlingen Police Department (2021-Present);
With, Texas Best Practice;
Investigator (Hit & Run), Harlingen Police Department (12 years);
Traffic Enforcer, Harlingen Police Department;
Patrolman, Harlingen Police Department (1982-1988)
Reynaldo Delua, Lead Investigator at Harlingen Police Department, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of law enforcement.
For 40 years, Mr. Delua has dedicated his life to law enforcement and providing justice to the people of Texas through his several roles within the Harlingen Police Department—and it all began with a pleasant interaction with an officer when he was 12 years old. Walking home one day after missing the school bus, he was approached by a police officer in a car who offered to drive him the rest of the way. Moved by that simple act of kindness, he was inspired to follow in the man’s footsteps and pay that same compassion forward to others in need.
The first in his family to graduate from high school and attend college, Mr. Delua did not complete his bachelor’s degree but strongly values education and studying hard in order to obtain one’s goals. He began as a patrolman for the Harlingen Police Department from 1982 to 1988 before getting involved in traffic enforcement. An investigator of hit and runs for several years, he eventually became lead investigator in 2021—a position in which he monitors investigations; calls people involved in cases and accidents; and works as an accident reconstructionist who uncovers through a scientific approach how and why an accident occurred. He has also lent his expertise to the Texas Police Chief Association’s Best Practices Recognition Program, serves as a police liaison for the Harlingen Area Crime Stoppers, and was a former volunteer instructor and trainer for the American Red Cross. Immensely proud of serving the public as part of the community, he has been integral in saving countless lives, including a man who had a heart attack while eating at a restaurant and a child.
In recognition of his commitment to public service, Mr. Ddelua received the Judge Appreciation Award for Setting a Good Example by Citywide Children in 2003. He attributes his success to colleagues in the police force and living by the motto “Never give up and never surrender.” Now 62, and married since 1987 with two children, he looks forward to completing his career on a good note.