News
Henderson Names Richard D. Perkins Police Chief
July 11, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE
PLEASE CONTACT CINDY HERMAN, (702) 267-2051
Henderson, Nev. – Richard D. Perkins will be sworn in tonight at the Henderson City Council meeting as City of Henderson Chief of Police. Chief Perkins, a 22-year-veteran of the Henderson Police Department, becomes the 10th police chief in the department’s 53-year history.
“The safety of our residents is always first and foremost on our minds as a city council, and so the decision to select someone to lead the agency charged with maintaining that safety is of critical importance to us,” said Henderson Mayor James B. Gibson. “Chief Perkins has a long and devoted career to the people of Henderson. We support him and we know he will do an outstanding job for the city as he assumes this new leadership role.”
Chief Perkins was appointed interim Police Chief in March overseeing the daily operations of the police force in the state's second largest city.
“Chief Perkins brings with him 22 years of experience in law enforcement and is highly respected within his field,” said City Manager Phil Speight. “As a lifelong resident of Henderson, he also brings with him a knowledge and understanding of the public safety needs of this community that will guide the vision and growth of the Henderson Police force.”
Chief Perkins is a native of Southern Nevada, born in Boulder City and raised in Henderson. He joined the Henderson Police Department in January 1984. 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. 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.
“It is a great honor to be named Henderson Police Chief. I am looking forward to continuing the Department’s great tradition of serving and protecting the residents of Henderson,’’ Chief Perkins said. “It is the men and women of Henderson Police that make the Department one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country.’’
When Chief Perkins joined the Henderson Police Department in 1984 there were only about 30 officers. He was named the police chief of a department consisting of 327 police officers, almost 50 corrections officers, and more than 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. Chief Perkins is a graduate of Basic High School; the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he earned bachelor degrees in both Criminal Justice and Political Science; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy.
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