Henderson police chief candidates down to three

Henderson City Manager Jacob Snow has selected three finalists for the vacant police chief position and hopes to make the appointment in July.

"I've been evaluating internal and external candidates," Snow said Thursday.

He said he met with about a dozen candidates over the past few weeks and plans to conduct second interviews with the finalists: Patrick Moers, Jeff Stilson and Bill Conger.

Henderson's former police chief, Jutta Chambers, announced her retirement in February. The announcement came after publicity about a controversial police beating that was recorded by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper's dashboard camera.

Chambers joined the department as a patrol officer in 1983 and was named chief in 2008. Her retirement took effect March 14.

Last week, Snow promoted Moers, a captain, to deputy chief over operations and named him interim police chief. Stilson is acting deputy chief over support.

"I've made the decision the chief of police will report directly to me, and that's already gone into effect," said Snow, who became city manager in April.

The police chief previously reported to the assistant city manager.

Snow said he has taken an interest in the Police Department and wants communication "to be as undiluted as possible."

Conger, a retired Las Vegas police deputy chief, was one of 16 candidates who ran for Clark County sheriff in 2006. He came in fourth in the primary with 12 percent of the vote, not enough to advance to the general election.

The Vietnam veteran spent six years as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army. His highest award was the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Conger joined the Metropolitan Police Department in 1975 and once said, "I became a policeman because I don't like bullies."

The third-generation Las Vegan spent 23 years of his 29-year police career in a leadership role and had experience handling multimillion-dollar budgets.

He retired in January 2005 to become a mortgage lender.

In 2006, Conger said he retired because he was "tired." But he said he was rested and ready to fight crime again.

Moers and Stilson have kept low profiles since joining the Henderson Police Department in 1991.

The new Henderson police chief will receive a salary in the range of $117,649 to $185,326.

Snow's choice must be ratified by the City Council.

Henderson employs about 340 police and corrections officers and about 60 police supervisors.

The controversial beating occurred about 4 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2010, when Adam Greene was pulled over for erratic driving. Law enforcement personnel thought they had a drunken driver on their hands, but Greene had gone into diabetic shock.

Greene's lawyer released the video to the media on Feb. 7, sparking public outrage. It showed Henderson police Sgt. Brett Seekatz repeatedly kicking Greene; Seekatz can be seen kicking Greene in the head five times after the motorist was taken to the ground by multiple officers.

In February, the city settled a lawsuit with Greene for $158,000. The city attorney's office earlier agreed to pay his wife $99,000, a sum that does not require City Council approval. The Highway Patrol paid the family $35,000.

Seekatz was disciplined but not terminated, demoted or charged with a crime.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to pay the International City/County Management Association up to $80,000 to perform an independent analysis of Henderson police services.

"We've asked them to pay particular attention to our training and use-of-force policies," Snow said.

He said the public has legitimate questions about the department's use-of-force policies and deserves answers.

"Everyone's seen the videos; everyone's read the newspaper accounts," Snow said.

The analysis could take anywhere from two to six months.

"I think by the end of this it will give us a fairly comprehensive view of the state of our Police Department," city spokesman Bud Cranor said.

Since becoming city manager, Snow said, he has spent the "lion's share" of his time with the department.

"And I'm convinced that the department is not broken," he said. "To the contrary, I think it's the best police department in the state."

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.