Class of 1980

Year Inducted 2013

James Reif was raised in Clifton Heights and the Penn Pines section of the UD.He attended Clifton Heights Elementary School and Jr. High and Beverly Hills.  At UDHS Jim was active in marching band, orchestra and lacrosse. Jim enlisted in the US Navy after graduation, serving on the USS Luce, a guided missile destroyer based out of Mayport FL, rising to the rank of 2nd class Petty Officer.  Hired by the Upper Darby Police Department in 1988, Jim attended the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, worked in the patrol and detective division, Mountain Bike, plain clothes, anti graffiti and SWAT units. Jim was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1995 and lieutenant in 2013. He also earned an Associate Degree in Emergency Management and Planning from Delaware County Community College in 2008. Jim founded and supervised the Mountain Bike unit that has had a positive impact on the lives of young people in the Upper Darby community. Jim has trained over 400 police bicycle officers from the Tri-state area for the International Police Mountain Bike Association. He also founded and supervised the UD Police Honor Guard unit and the 5th Grade Mentoring Program in the Upper Darby School District. This mentoring program has created a positive attitude of trust between students and police and a reduction in bullying and other incidents in our schools. Today 40 officers are mentors to over 900 students in 4th and 5th grade. Currently, Jim is the Safe Schools Coordinator in the Upper Darby Township overseeing lockdown training and drills for all school in the township.