A Bucks County cop was charged with child pornography after an anonymous tip, DA says

Prosecutors in Bucks County are reviewing the cases investigated by an 18-year veteran of the Hilltown Township Police Department after he was arrested this week for allegedly possessing child pornography.

Michael Reiss, 47, was charged Tuesday with 10 counts of child pornography, according to court records. He was released after posting $75,000 bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

Detectives in Montgomery County were led to Reiss, who lives in Upper Hanover Township, through an anonymous tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

The tipster said two images depicting the sexual abuse of children had been uploaded to an unidentified website, and provided the email address used by the poster. Investigators traced that email address, as well as the IP address of the device used to make the post, to Reiss, the affidavit said.

During a search of Reiss’ Google account, investigators found images of sexual abuse of children, including some as young as 6, according to the affidavit.

Reiss was placed on unpaid administrative leave after his arrest, Hilltown Township Police Chief Chris Englehart said in a statement.

“We were angered and shocked at the allegations and are fully cooperating with the investigation,” Englehart said. “These acts, if true, would be a betrayal of his oath as a Police Officer, the public trust and the trust of his fellow officers.”