LETTER: A revolving door at the Henderson Police Department
In regard to your reportage on the Henderson police chief issue:
As a resident of Henderson and a former member of law enforcement, I view chief Hollie Chadwick’s pending dismissal with a suspicious eye. Over the past 15 years, Henderson has been playing dominoes with our police chiefs. They are lucky to get two years in without some “issue” raising its ugly head. Some of these chiefs have served more than 20 years coming up through the ranks with no negative reviews.
I think the issue lies more with politics than with the chiefs. Why? Police department personnel are made to sign a non-disclosure form whereas they can’t give their side of a story without the risk of being sued. And yes, cops, like every other human being in the world, have bad actors in their midst. But in Henderson, it seems as if every two years a chief is being ostracized. Now, it appears, Chief Chadwick gets her turn.
My idea would be to elect chiefs instead of them being political pawns. Second, quit making the officers sign a a non-disclosure (unless they want to). This way, the accused gets to voice his or her side of the story, too.
