HENDERSON (KTNV) — For the first time since the termination of Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick, Channel 13 is meeting with the woman who made the call — City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause.
You may recall, Chadwick had served as chief since May 2023 before she was removed from her position back in February. Until now, city leaders have offered very little explanation as to why.
Recruitment for the new Henderson police chief is officially underway—a process I will be following very closely—but many of you still have questions.
I am pressing to get those answers for you, speaking one-on-one with the city manager to understand what led to the leadership shake-up at the top of the Henderson Police Department.
WATCH | What the city manager is looking for in the next police chief
WATCH | The revolving door of Henderson police chiefs
Below is my interview with her:
Abel Garcia: One thing we do want to know is that we were hearing from a source, you guys [City Manager & Henderson Police Chief] had a closed-door meeting before and basically they were saying that from there we saw everything kind of escalate to the point where the Henderson police chief was terminated. We want to hear a little but about when you say that you guys did not have the same visions—that you guys did not align—what exactly does that mean and why did you make that choice?
Stephanie Garcia-Vause: As a city manager, I’m hired to make good decisions on behalf of our employees and on behalf of our entire community. And I have a vision to move the city forward. One of our priorities is public safety and having the safest community in the country. And because of the great work of our police officers, we are one of the safest cities in the country. We're ranked sometimes number two, and my vision is to—and along with the mayor and council—is to really continue to make this the safest community, and we have values that we abide by as well, and we don’t have alignment sometimes. And as a new city manager, you take a look at your team and it was time to make a change.
Abel: We’ve heard from the Police Association about some of those complaints. We’ve heard about some of the things that happened in the past as well. Did that also contribute to your decision? Did you take that into consideration as well when you made that decision?
Stephanie: This decision was mine solely, and it was mine based on my decision, not the unions. The unions have their own priorities, and you’ve seen them whether or not they’ve chatted with you on camera, or they have different ideas in mind sometimes, but this was my decision based on taking a look at the alignment and leadership qualities and alignment with our values and moving forward.
Abel: Based off of previous experiences, we have been a revolving door when it comes to our Henderson police chiefs for the past almost 20 years. In and out of different people. What is your goal to try to stop this and provide consistency for this department?
Stephanie: Thanks for that question. I am fully aware of the revolving door, and over my 30-year career I've seen that too. I am fully committed to finding the next leader, the next chief of police, who is going to be committed to developing leadership skills within the Henderson Police Department so that we can have a strong pipeline of leaders for the future that are in alignment with our values as an organization and willing to fulfill our strategic plan.
Abel: You’ve said it time and time again you want to find somebody within the department. Is that still your focus? Is that still your goal?
Stephanie: I’ve heard that we want to find someone within the department, and my expectation is that this next chief is not necessary going to be from within the department but will be the best qualified for leading the department forward and developing that next generation of leaders. I’ve heard that on-air, from our unions, maybe—but they don’t speak for me—and so I’m committed to finding the best candidate for the next chief position based on merit, based on their leadership abilities, based on their experience in law enforcement, and that’s what I’m committed to.
Abel: You were appointed to this position, and I want to make sure that people who are out in our community understand the role that you have when it comes to this. How can you make a decision like that to look at a Henderson police chief and say, "We don't align. You gotta go." Explain that to me.
Stephanie: So, our police department is just the same as anyone of our departments in the city. We have a mayor and manager form of government—or council-manager form of government—and so our mayors and council are elected to provide policy, and the city manager is appointed to implement that policy, implement the vision, implement the strategic plan. Our directors are all at will and the police department is one department of many that oversee our entire community, and we’re responsible for all 340,000 residents, over 3,000 employees, and I’m appointed to make sure that we are all in alignment, and we are all moving the organization forward.
Abel: What do you have to say to those people who are very upset about this decision that you made? To those individuals who are, of course, really wanting to make sure that that police chief [Hollie Chadwick] was still in place? What else do you have to say?
Stephanie: I understand that not everyone is going to appreciate the decisions I make, and when I make tough decisions, I don't take them lightly. And I have to really think about them. I consider them, so no decision I make is taken lightly. And so, to all those people who may be naysayers, I understand not everybody’s going to agree with the decisions I make. That’s part of being a leader. Sometimes, you have to make tough decisions.
Abel: Explain to me what is the top priority that you would like for this police chief when they come into is door. What would you like them to handle based off of what we’ve seen in the past? We’ve seen a lot of mistakes and there have been many, but what would you like for this new police chief?
Stephanie: So, as we move forward, I'm looking for the next chief to really be in alignment with our vision and values and to take our strategic plan forward. And some of the things we’ve heard from our officers—I’ve chatted with them over the last few weeks—is really they want to see someone who is committed to the community, someone who cares about the community, developing leaders from within, and creating that strong pipeline of leaders for the future. And so, we are definitely looking for that next chief to be someone who cares about the city of Henderson and wants to see all of our community succeed.
Abel: We've also been told that you guys kind of follow this cookie cutter mold for the same person time and time again. Are you thinking of going a different approach? Some people have even considered are we looking at someone younger? Are we looking at someone to bring in a fresh set of eyes? Are we looking at a different perspective? Do you have another strategy in your approach in bringing in this new chief?
Stephanie: Those are all things that we’re going to consider, but we’re going to go back to this next chief is going to appointed based on merit, their experience, their leadership experience, and their expertise in law enforcement. So, I hope we don’t find a cookie cutter that is of a similar cookie or package, but we are committed to finding that next great chief who is going to bring this community and this police department forward.
Abel: Is there anything else that you would like to just set the record straight on in regard to this whole entire situation? Of course, there's been so many conflicts we've seen—that there's been a whole bunch of tension—there's also the possibility of some legal situations as well. What are you guys going to do moving forward if this were to happen?
Stephanie: Moving forward, we are committed to seeing our community continue to be safe. That is the primary importance for us and really making sure that our Henderson Police Department is set up for the future, and that's what we're committed to.
On April 22, we're taking your questions straight to Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. As a Henderson resident herself, Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean will interview Romero on a wide range of topics, discussing key concerns and accomplishments within the city.
If you have questions for Mayor Romero, reach out to Tricia directly at Tricia.Kean@ktnv.com.
