Interesting form the Las Vegas Sun: Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers has been asked to step down, City Hall sources said today.
The request came from the departing city manager, Mark Calhoun, who sources said was pressured to make the request by members of the Henderson City Council.
Another source said the most likely scenario will be that Chambers, if she goes along, will retire not resign.
Chambers, the first female officer in the police department's history, has been with the department for nearly 30 years. Since becoming chief in 2008, "she has done a lot of good, made a lot of changes in the department," a source said.
The call for her resignation follows the release last week of video showing Henderson Sgt. Brett Seekatz kicking a restrained driver in the head five times during an October 2010 traffic stop. The man was suffering a diabetic episode and was deemed “semi-conscious” by police at the scene.
Sources said that if City Council members pressured Calhoun to get rid of Chambers, that would be a violation of the city charter, which states that personnel decisions are solely the city manager’s call. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/feb/15/henderson-police-chief-asked-step-down/
This is a bunch of BS. The Police Chief hasn't done anything wrong and for the departing city manager to take a cheap shot is in bad taste.
The City of Henderson had to pay out $250,000 to a guy who had been kicked in the head by a Henderson police officer. There was a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking on this case. The cops were chasing this driver, who never should have been driving in the first place, for several miles and when they arrested him, he was kicked right after he got out of his car. The cops did not know he was a diabetic until after he was restrained and in custody. Up until then, they had every right to believe he was just a drunk driver who was trying to run from them. And if this guy, who they thought was drunk was aggressive enough to run away from them driving a car, then they had every had every right to think he would fight the cops when he was arrested. The Henderson officer was reprimanded for the kicks.
This driver should have never been on the road with his diabetes and my hope is that he never drives again because of what has happened.
But for this idiot city manger who is leaving to call for Chief Chambers resignation is just plain stupidity. The Henderson cops are very professional in their actions and how they handle cases. The only problem I have with the Henderson P.D. is that they are too secretive at times, involving high profile cases.
So, this is how the city of Henderson treats a 30 year veteran of it's police force? Some whispering to the newspaper about the departing city manager asking for her to quit?
Hardly and my advice to Chief Chambers, tell the former city manager that you should stick your baton up his you know what.
(And just wondering- do you think the new city of Henderson attorney, Josh Reid, may be in on this? A hard core lefty like Josh "Babyboy" Reid could very well want the police chief out)
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