HENDERSON (KTNV) — "I just want to tell you what an enormous privilege and honor it is to be selected as the chief of police for the Henderson Police Department."
The city is welcoming Hollie Chadwick as Henderson's newest and 15th police chief.
Tuesday afternoon, City council chambers filled with law enforcement, family and friends for the swearing in of Hollie Chadwick.
Chief Chadwick says her top priorities are to ensure community safety and bring in more officers to the city.
"I am so privileged to continue to wear this badge and serve my community," she said. "That means everything to me."
Chadwick says she is ready for her challenge, and that news is good to hear for Henderson locals.
"I have not had any safety issues or anything like that," said Henderson local of 19 years, Vidella McCarroll. "But it's always great to keep on top of that."
McCarroll says she travels around the Water Street District without concern. She said Henderson police is the reason why.
However, after the deaths of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols at the hands of police, one thing she hopes is top of mind for Chadwick is proper training for her officers.
"Take matters in a different form of not pulling their guns right away and utilizing the things they have like their nightsticks before pulling their gun," she said.
The Henderson police veteran Hollie Chadwick says the focus is not only on what is being done in the field, but also internal training, especially when it comes to bias and how people are treated.
"It is something we enforce every day," Chadwick said. "Everyone knows how to value and embrace everyone equally and it is not a hard task cause we love that."
Other top priorities for the new chief is public safety, staffing and focusing on the mental and physical health of everyone in her department.
Chadwick says being in service for 21 years gave her the experience to better serve and protect the community of Henderson.
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"I grew up here, I live here, this is where my family is, it helps set that foundation for all of us as we come to work every day," Chadwick said.
She said she knows it's not an easy task. The four officers who previously held the position all left because of controversy. This includes issues involving police brutality, sexual harassment, race and gender discrimination.
Last November, both of the city's police unions voted "no confidence" in former Henderson police chief, Thedrick Andres. He retired from the position in February.
"You have to learn from your mistakes in the past and recognize those but also come up with solutions and remedies to make sure we are moving forward in a positive direction," she said.
McCarroll says Henderson's law enforcement should continue to gain the trust of the community, especially with people of color.
"More communication," McCarroll said. "With each and every individual and situation."
Chief Chadwick says keeping the community informed is critical.
"We will make sure we are transparent and communicative throughout this entire process because that is the foundation of what we want to do for our community and keeping it safe," she said.
