The Cop behind the T-shirts

Although it was reported here at SBNOW before, it has now been confirmed that the identity of the policeman who sells those T-shirts depicting San Bernardino as a murder capital is none other than Lyle Reyes, a 20-year officer.

Note: To answer a reader's comment below - No, Reyes resides in Riverside.

I interviewed Reyes for about 30 minutes, during which he said he sells the shirts as a sort of release for frustration, not a political statement. He added that some top police brass, meaning Lieutenants on up, had bought the shirts from him, sometimes thru intermediaries, for $10 a pop.

This will be a story in this weekend's Sun. It should be a good read, and Reyes comes off as an affable, honest guy.

One other key point: Reyes said he has sold somewhere around 700 shirts and can barely keep them in stock, meaning gross of roughly $7,000. He doesn't have a business license, he admitted. City Clerk Rachel Clark verified Thursday that a $60 license is required for businesses like Reyes' which gross under $25,000 annually.

Here is one example of Reyes' handiwork. Note the reference to 187, the penal code for murder: