Henderson Police
Richard D. Perkins
Police Chief
Contact:
Office Telephone: (702) 267-4501
Office Fax: (702) 267-5001
E-Mail: COHPoliceChief@cityofhenderson.com
Professional Biography:
Richard D. Perkins was appointed Chief of Police in July 2006,
becoming the tenth person to head the city of Henderson Police Department since the City's
incorporation in 1953. He joined the Henderson Police Department as a patrol officer in January 1984.
Chief Perkins manages the police department of the second largest city in Nevada with 327 police officers, almost 50 corrections officers, and over 150 full-time civilian employees. Chief Perkins will oversee the department at a time of expansion, with the influx of more than 100 new officers over the next three years, as a result of a recent voter-approved, countywide tax initiative.
When Chief Perkins became a police officer in 1984, the department had only 31 officers. He was selected as field training officer in 1987, tasked with training new recruits. Eighteen months later, he became a police investigator, and was promoted to sergeant in 1991. That same year, he received the Clark County District Attorney's Office Meritorious Award for his work with child abuse victims. In 1995, he was promoted to Captain, serving as commander of the Investigations Division, until his promotion to deputy police chief over the Operations Command in December 2000.
Chief Perkins served in the Nevada Assembly for seven terms, from 1992 until 2006. During this time, he served as Floor Leader, Majority Leader, and Speaker of the Assembly. Perkins championed a number of law enforcement issues, such as Nevada's Amber Alert, Homeland Security, Truth in Sentencing, and anti-drug and anti-street gang laws.
Chief Perkins is a native of Southern Nevada, born in Boulder City and raised in Henderson. He is a graduate of Basic High School; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he earned bachelor's degrees in both Criminal Justice and Political Science; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy.
01/2008