New Henderson police chief takes oath of office

Henderson's new police chief took the oath of office Tuesday after the City Council ratified his appointment.

City Manager Jacob Snow announced two weeks ago that he had selected Patrick Moers for the chief's position. Snow previously had promoted Moers, 48, to deputy chief over operations and named him interim police chief.

The former 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.

"I think that the agency's ripe for a culture change," Snow said last week. "This new chief, he's going to listen to people."

Snow met with about a dozen candidates before selecting three finalists: Moers, Jeff Stilson and Bill Conger.

Stilson is acting deputy chief over support for Henderson police, and Conger is a retired Las Vegas police deputy chief.

"I'm confident that all three would have done an excellent job as chief of police, but I think what the Police Department needed the most was a leader who was going to be a good communicator," Snow said. "My experience has been that the best communicators are the best listeners."

The city manager said Moers has had the reputation since his days as a patrol officer of someone who always remains calm.

"He's the type of person where he doesn't always have to dominate the conversation," Snow said.

Snow also said rank-and-file members of the Henderson Police Department gave their unsolicited support for Moers during the selection process and conveyed the message, "We're ready to follow this guy."

In addition, Snow said Moers has the ability to build relationships between the Police Department and other departments in the city.

"It's my commitment to continue to make Henderson one of the safest communities in this country," Moers said.

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

As chief, Moers will receive a salary of nearly $184,000 a year.

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