HENDERSON (KTNV) — The Henderson Police Officers’ Association and the Henderson Police Supervisors Association conducted a vote of confidence in Henderson Police Chief Thedrick Andres.
The unions declared in a joint statement on Wednesday that, by majority vote, they do not have confidence in Chief Andres.
The Henderson Police Officers’ Association, which is comprised of 397 officers, tallied 307 “no confidence” votes. While the Henderson Police Supervisors Association, which is comprised of 67 Sergeants and Lieutenants, counted 57 votes of “no confidence.”
In a joint statement, both unions claimed that Chief Andres “lacked proper qualifications” and his hiring was “rushed.” Additionally, requests for support from City leadership were “ignored or worse,” according to the release.
Both unions highlighted several concerns with Chief Andres' leadership in the joint statement, saying Andres failed to collaborate with both unions on Collective Bargaining Agreements and manipulated promotion lists.
The statement also claimed that Andres had cultivated a hostile work environment and discriminated against officers based on gender and sexuality.
The development of Henderson Police Department's Use of Force policy was also cited as a major concern. Since the policy was introduced by Chief Andres on Facebook, neither union was given the opportunity to collaborate on it.
“If you want to understand the morale of the Henderson Police Department, ask an officer — ours have spoken,” supervisors association President Chris Aguiar wrote in the statement. “Despite Chief Andres’ inherent lack of leadership, our officers continue to answer the call to keep our community safe. We have no doubt that Chief Andres’ retaliation as a result of this vote will be swift and wide-reaching. It is how he operates and always has when faced with fair and unbiased criticism.”
Both unions will present the voting results to the Henderson City Council at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 15.
