Three Sisters Ponds: My Journey from Street Cop to FBI Special Agent- from Baltimore to Lockerbie, Pakistan and Beyond

by Phillip B.J. Reid

In September 2000, I was sitting on a bench facing the Mediterranean Sea in the French Riviera town of Nice. I had flown there during a three-day break in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial in Camp Ziest, Netherlands, where I was expected to testify. As I sat on this bench eating lunch, I suddenly found myself overwhelmed by emotion. It was an awakening: I realized that my being there was the fulfillment of one of my many life dreams and goals that were launched thirty-one years earlier from another bench facing the Three Sisters Ponds in Baltimore's Druid Hill Park. Now, from a bench in the French Riviera, I began to chronicle the manifestation of those dreams and goals, accomplished through my thirty-six-year law enforcement career as a Baltimore City policeman and FBI agent. I'm hoping my story catches on with anyone who dares to dream and set challenging and aggressive life goals. I hope to inspire and encourage more interest in law enforcement careers by sharing my professional experiences and the educational, leadership, and career opportunities that were availed to me during my law enforcement career. My responsibilities as a Baltimore City policeman included saving lives, catching murder suspects, confronting wayward police, and dealing with crisis situations such as the 1971 student riots at the University of Maryland and the 1974 Baltimore City Police strike and riots. As an FBI agent, I was a part of the 1981 Brinks armored truck murder/robbery investigation in Nyack, NY; took part in New York FBI SWAT operations; and was involved in international extra-territorial terrorism investigations such as the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the attempted bombing of then-Secretary of State George Shultz's motorcade in La Paz, Bolivia, and the kidnapping and murders of Americans in Srinagar, India, and Karachi, Pakistan.

278 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2013

Reviews

[Ed Zier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, heartfelt description of a man's driven ambition to close out arguably the first real terrorist attack in modern times. Phil Reid goes to great length to share details on how he needed to station himself in Malta for a year in order to flush out details that helped him bring a Libyan national to justice for this terrorist crime. Mr. Reid began his investigative career with the Baltimore Police Department as a detective. From there he ascended to his senior role at the FBI. The title regarding Three Sisters provides a glimpse into his childhood musings, and it doesn't have to do with his family. A great read.

[Samuel Parish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Reid has lived a remarkable life. and has written a wonderful memoir of his experiences in law enforcement which encompass some very historic events. He is an example of how patience, persistence, and determination pay off in the long run. I would definitely recommend this book

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like hearing about other people's lives. this is told as if sitting on the porch reminiscing... no fancy rhetoric or anything. An easy read, but there are some parts that jump around and some that seem out of place in the recollection.