After the resignation of two chiefs in less than a year, the new head of the Henderson Police Department, Richard Perkins, said he is in a position to become a stabilizing force for his staff.

The last chief, Alan Kerstein, was on the job for seven months when he resigned in March. Kerstein had taken over after Michael Mayberry resigned in April 2005. Kerstein faced questions early in his tenure when he asked to have a patrol car pick him up at McCarran International Airport and when he had upgrades like a sunroof added to his own police-issue vehicle. He later paid for the upgrades and admitted asking for an airport pick-up was a mistake.