Reggie Rader was officially sworn in as the new police chief of the Henderson Police Department during a special city council meeting on Tuesday. He replaces former Police Chief Hollie Chadwick, who was dismissed in March after 23 years with the department.
One month after former Police Chief Chadwick was fired, City Manager Stephanie Garcia Vause said the decision was due to differences in opinion and leadership style, saying, “Sometimes people have differences of opinions and different ways of doing things.” Emails released after Chadwick’s departure showed disagreements over public safety and department transparency. In his first speech as chief, Chief Rader said transparency and working with the community are important as Henderson grows, stating, “I do not look at transparency or collaboration as a bad thing. In fact, I look at it as a necessity moving forward,” as reported by News 3 Lv.
Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero and the city council welcomed Chief Rader at a recent ceremony, calling him the “Hometown Son” for his local background. Councilman Jim Seebock, who has worked with Rader, said, “With the exception to going to Green Valley High School instead of Basic (High School)—we will deal with that later—I am really thrilled.” According to 8 News Now, Rader has started visiting the police department’s area commands and detention center to hear from staff. He is focusing on overtime, staffing shortages, and shift bidding. “I am already trying to beef up the patrol for this next shift bid because every area command I go to, there are folks on overtime,” he said. Although he did not give interviews before the ceremony, Rader stated he plans to work with the community and improve communication.
