Kemah chief recalled for bravery, tenacity
Chris Reed wore a lot of hats: Chief of police for the city of Kemah. Trustee for the Clear Creek ISD school board. Wrestling coach. Mixed martial arts fighter and referee. Former U.S. Army paratrooper.
In his various walks of life, Reed was renowned for his leadership ability, but also for his physical and mental toughness. After all, enlisting to jump out of military aircraft and sparring with heavyweight fighters is not for the faint of heart.
“When I think of Chris Reed, I just think that’s a guy that does everything for the right reasons,” said Mike Moor, wrestling director of W4R Training Center in Tomball, who worked with Reed as a wrestling coach. “He’s the definition of an all-American bad-ass.”
Reed, 50, died over the weekend after falling off a 24-foot boat Friday evening about two miles north of the Texas City Dike. Reed, whose wife was with him, was not wearing a life vest when their boat was caught in the wake of a passing vessel, knocking him overboard.
A two-day search ensued with local, state and federal agencies combing the waters of Galveston Bay for Reed. His body was recovered early Sunday morning near
where he fell.
“Great colleague, great friend,” said Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset. “The community at large, the law enforcement community lost a good leader.”
Reed’s official cause of death was accidental drowning, according to the Galveston County Medical Examiner.
Friends and colleagues remembered Reed for his generous spirit and bravery. Trochesset noted that while serving as a League City police officer in 1993, Reed was shot while responding to the scene of a crime, saved by his bulletproof vest. He was awarded a Law Enforcement Purple Heart.
Barry Laminack, a local comedian and radio host, befriended Reed after interviewing him for a Houston Chronicle article on mixed martial arts fighting in 2012. Laminack recalled a story Reed told him about sprinting after a man who had struck a young girl in a parking lot. Reed tackled the man and held him on the ground until police showed up.
“We were all like, ‘Wow, this dude’s a real life superhero,’ ” Laminack said.
Reed’s life was about public service, with over 28 years in municipal government throughout Galveston County. He rose through the ranks as a police officer in League City, becoming assistant chief before leaving the department in 2006 to take a post as city administrator.
Reed also served as the city manager in Nassau Bay from 2009 to 2016, and he also started a private consulting business in 2009. He was selected by the Shepperd Leadership Institute of the University of Texas–Permian Basin as Texas’ 2012 Outstanding Local Leader and was a finalist for University of Houston Public Official of the year in 2015.
After Greg Rikard stepped down as Kemah police chief in 2016, Reed was named interim chief and led a search for a permanent replacement. When top candidates turned down the job, Reed took the post himself, and immediately won over the rank and file by pushing for an across-the-board 5 percent pay raise for Kemah’s 20 police officers, according to the Galveston County Daily News.
In addition to his public service, Reed had a brief mixed martial arts career. Nicknamed “The Celtic Tiger” because of his habit of pacing the cage during a fight, Reed went 5-2 as a light heavyweight fighter before calling it quits. He refereed fights until his death.
Reed is survived by his wife, Jana, a teacher in Clear Creek ISD, and three children. A memorial service will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Clear Creek Community Church in League City.