School district names new police chief

After seven months of waiting, Clark County public schools officially have a police chief to replace Chief Phil Arroyo, who was suspended in October and resigned in January after months of controversy.

Capt. James Ketsaa has been interim chief in Arroyo's absence but now will permanently lead the 163-officer department, which has an $18.3 million operating budget.

Superintendent Dwight Jones chose Ketsaa, a 22-year member of Clark County School District police, after a nationwide search because the interim chief is already putting school police "on the right path."

"Chief Ketsaa believes in accountability and performance," Jones said .

Ketsaa acknowledged that the department's image is tarnished and said, "We will work tirelessly to rebuild the public's faith in school police. We don't have anything to hide. There're no secrets."

There have been accusations of secrets kept by Arroyo. He is the focus of a lawsuit alleging that he ordered the cover-up of circumstances surrounding a 2009 holiday party attended by a minor who later was involved in a drunken-driving accident that killed a University of Nevada, Las Vegas student.

At the school district's request, Las Vegas police conducted an investigation into the party and whether district employees provided alcohol to minors.

But police weren't tasked with looking into the allegations of a cover-up or into Arroyo, who wasn't at the party, Sheriff Doug Gillespie said. Police didn't find sufficient evidence of providing alcohol to minors, he said.

Ketsaa said the department needs to get back on track to its key role. Officers need to create a safe environment for students to learn, and they need to be mentors and role models, not enemies, he said.

"Kids will come up and tell you everything if they have a rapport with you."

For this reason, Ketsaa has been holding outreach meetings with the community to discuss issues such as increasing student use of prescription and synthetic drugs.

Roving officers will spend more time at schools getting to know students, he said.

Ketsaa is instituting details of seven officers that will patrol random schools twice a month to alleviate traffic that continues to be problematic during student dropoffs and pickups.

"It won't just be hard-nosed enforcement but education," said Ketsaa who has seen the problem escalate as he has worked his way up from police officer to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and now chief.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.