By Juan Montoya
In October 2001, Browntown was all atwitter.
President George W. Bush had just nominated former Brownsville Police Chief Benigno G. Reyna as the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), "America's oldest federal law enforcement agency."
Reyna took office on December 5, 2001.For a small-town cop in charge of some 130 officers to suddenly find himself at the head of an agency with a staff of 4,200 and a budget of $733 million was heady stuff. A hometown boy had done good. Reyna had been in the BPD for some 25 years before being named Chief of Police in 1995, a position he left in 2001 to go to Washington at the behest of W.
According to a Washington Post article, he almost immediately faced skepticism from judges and regional U.S. marshals about his experience for the job.The US Marshals Service had come under fire from judges over the issue of security of judges and their families when Reyna headed the agency. He was soon the target of criticism about judicial security lapses and his leadership from federal judges and some members of Congress.
Then – only three years into his tenure – the Justice Department's Inspector General issued a report in 2004 critical of the way the US Marshals assessed threats against judges. Congress felt strongly enough about the issue that it authorized $12 million to spent on security systems for the homes of federal judges. Of 1,700 judges who requested these systems be installed, only 500 have received them before an event galvanized protest against his leadership.
The straw that broke the camel's back and which drove Reyna to resign came after typically reserved judges publicly criticized his management to Congress after a frustrated litigant broke into the Chicago home of U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow in February and killed her husband and mother.
They complained that Reyna had failed to devote staff and money to the service's primary duty of protecting judges and was channeling resources into other projects.
The Washington Post story said that in a private meeting with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in March, several federal judges on a national judicial leadership committee urged him to consider removing Reyna from office.
When Reyna could not weather the congressional onslaught, Gonzales announced his resignation without explanation and thanked him for his service.
"Benigno Reyna has served as director of the U.S. Marshals Service with integrity and skill," Gonzales, who would also take his turn at the resignation podium later, said in a statement. "As a law enforcement officer with more than 29 years of experience, he has shown steadfast leadership in directing the Service in the months and years following the September 11th attacks, as well during its work with state and local law enforcement in Operation Falcon, which resulted in the arrests of more than 10,000 fugitives."
Leaving Washington D.C. in disgrace and heading home, Reyna was soon taken under the wing of University of Texas-Texas Southmost College partnership President Juliet Garcia and a position was made for him in the Office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs as a Special Assistant to the V-P for Administrative Affairs at $100,000 a year.
That increased to $102,000 in 2006-2007, $104,040 in 2007-2008, $106,000 in 2008-2009, and finally to $108,233 from 2010 until today. However, he no longer is assistant in academic affairs. His niche is now described as Administrative asst. to the Office of the Provost for Governmental Affairs.
What does Reyna do to earn his keep besides relish the memories and photographs of his time in the Big Leagues before he was ushered out the back door? Like many of the high-paid underachievers in Garcia's coterie, his major qualification is that he is her staunch supporter. In Browntown, as at UTB, that's really all that matters, isn't it?
9 comments:
Ben Reyna wasn't qualified to be Chief of BPD, was not qualified to be Chief of the U.S. Marshall's Office and really has no job at UTB...despite his pay. Ben is seen riding around in his golf cart on campus, but no one knows what he does, or what he has done to earn his salary there. Ben Reyna is surely a good example of the "Peter Principle" at work...and if you haven't read that book you should. Juliet hired Ben because certain Brownsville leaders didn't want him to return from the U.S. Marshall's job in shame......
marshall's job in shame. si es pendejo no hay cura, pendejo se quedara.
This is another idiot that thinks he is doing a superb job then heads out of the valley and returns in a short time because his skills were exposed as comical.
es friend or a friend of a friend thats all, mamoncito de julieta at taxpayers expense of course
There is now a budget crisis due to the separation of UTB and TSC. The UT System may also be more involved in UTB finances. It will be interesting to see if positions such as this one will get the ax (as well as the hundreds of staff and faculty).
Unfair and untrue. Ben Reyna has always been a paragon of integrity in all he does.
Queen Julieta would rather pink slip tenured professors than cut the fat at the top of the UTB administration or take a pay cut herself. The clock is ticking, Queen J.
I have no respect for this man and will never have respect for this idiot. Many many... years ago I applied and made the whole process to become a BPD officer up to the final interview with the chief. Well behold I was shot down by this idiot and his crowny who sat in same office another worthless idiot Garcia.
I found a job as a police officer some where else up north and after 26 successful years moving through the racks I'm now retiring as a Chief of Police of a much larger department with an outstanding reputation.
Remember: What goes around will come back around!
@ 23rd 10:07
Please don't use the word integrity in the same sentence as Ben Reynas name. It's reallllly a misuse of the word.
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