‘Incredibly honored’: Henderson welcomes new police chief
Reggie Rader will be Henderson’s next top cop.
Rader, a veteran Metropolitan Police Department officer who rose through the ranks to become a deputy chief, was announced Wednesday as the Henderson Police Department’s next chief of police.
“I am incredibly honored to step into the role of chief of police for the city of Henderson — a city that means so much to me personally,” said Rader, a longtime resident of the city and graduate of Green Valley High School. “This is not just a chapter in my career, it’s a long-term commitment to the city I love and the department I respect.”
In a news conference outside City Hall, Henderson City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause said Rader was chosen following a nationwide search. She highlighted his lengthy career as well as his roots to the city.
Rader, who would be the ninth full-time police chief in Henderson since 2005, said he’s “here for the long haul.” He starts his new job on July 7, the city said in a press release, and an Oath of Office ceremony will be held at the July 15 City Council meeting.
More than 50 applicants
Henderson has officially been searching for a permanent leader since April, after Hollie Chadwick, who had been the police chief in Henderson since May 2023, was fired in March.
Garcia-Vause said she and her staff vetted more than 50 applicants from departments across the U.S., including some from departments along the East Coast and the Midwest. Although others were considered, Rader’s knowledge of Southern Nevada law enforcement and commitment to the city stood out above the rest of the field, Garcia-Vause said.
“The final few (candidates) weren’t all from a local agency,” Garcia-Vause said. “So there was nothing in terms of any preference, but Chief Rader rose to the top through the process.”
Rader said his top priorities will include boosting officer morale and filling the estimated 60 vacancies the department is currently facing. Rader also said it became apparent the department had several staffing issues, and he said Wednesday he may explore reducing mandatory overtime requirements.
“When we have officers that are tired, they’re working all the time, they might not make the best decisions,” Rader said. “It’s not great for their well-being. They’re not able to have that decompression time that you need with a job that’s so stressful.”
Union reaction
Local law enforcement unions are excited to work with Rader, said Andrew Regenbaum, spokesman for the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers and the Henderson Police Officers’ and Henderson Police Supervisors associations.
“The Henderson Police unions appreciate the City’s thorough search for a new chief,” Regenbaum said in a text message. “Both unions are booking forward to a new beginning with Chief Rader. We are anxious to work collaboratively with the new chief as we know that he prioritizes his personnel as the most important department resource.”
Rader will replace interim chief Anthony Branchini, who is taking over effective June 1 for retiring interim chief Itzhak Henn. Henn was named the replacement for Chadwick, who has since announced a Henderson mayoral bid to replace incumbent Michelle Romero.
In a March email to police employees announcing Chadwick’s ouster, Garcia-Vause said that she had lost confidence in Chadwick’s ability to improve the department’s culture and operations. Chadwick was not fired for cause or for misconduct, Garcia-Vause said.
Some residents, critics and even fellow City Council members have criticized city leadership over what they called a lack of transparency surrounding the firing of Chadwick and other recent decisions. Garcia-Vause, Romero and others have rebuffed those claims, and Rader on Wednesday pledged to run the police department with honesty and accountability.
“We derive our authority from the public,” Rader said. “So I intend to have a very transparent tenure here as police chief, and that boils all the way down to the officers and everything that we do.”
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.
