Henderson Police Department Reports Achievements in Presentation to Council

Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader presented a public safety update to Mayor and Council at today's City Council meeting, highlighting a more than 20% increase in patrol, a vacancy rate cut by more than half and continued declines in crime.

"A year ago, we made three promises to this community: improve recruitment, fully staff the Inspirada Police Substation and put more officers on patrol," said Police Chief Reggie Rader. "We delivered on all three, thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the Henderson Police Department and the support of City Council and City leadership."

The presentation to Council highlighted the following:

RECRUITMENT

• Vacancy rate cut by more than half: HPD's vacancy rate dropped from 13.1% in September 2025 to 5.8% today, reducing open positions from 75 to 33. The current vacancy rate is below the 10% to 15% national average reported by the Police Executive Research Forum.
• Strong recruiting pipeline: HPD received nearly 400 applications for commissioned officer positions, with its next police academy scheduled to begin Feb. 1.
• Cadet Academy Success: Six full-time cadets have been hired through HPD's new Cadet Academy, a program to help drive officer recruitment.
• Inspirada substation fully staffed: The Inspirada police substation is now fully staffed.

CRIME AND TRAFFIC SAFETY

• Crime continues to decline: Violent crime is down 18%, property crime is down 13% and person crimes are down 7%. HPD detectives achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate, while the Special Victims Unit closed 97.4% of cases and property crimes detectives closed 81.9%.
• Traffic fatalities down 25%: Vehicle fatalities through Aug. 31 are down 25% compared with the same period in 2025, driven by intelligence-led enforcement focused on areas where crashes occur.

911 AND DISPATCH CENTER

• Dispatch center fully staffed: HPD's dispatch center reached 100% staffing as of Oct. 5.
• Fast response times: Dispatchers answer 85% of 911 calls in under 20 seconds and dispatch 91% of public safety emergencies within 30 seconds.
• Growing demand: 911 calls are projected to reach 121,518 in 2026, a 12.4% increase from 108,108 in 2025.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE UPDATE INCLUDE:

• E-bike enforcement: Since December 2025, officers have made 252 stops, issued 147 citations, cited 26 parents and towed 72 devices through the "Ride Smart. Stay Safe." campaign.
• Drones as First Responder: During a 30-day demonstration, drones completed 529 flights, arrived first on scene 71.5% of the time and helped resolve 16.2% of calls without sending an officer. HPD is working with regional partners to establish a permanent Drone as First Responder program connected to the regional drone operations center at the Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center.
• Investing in the next generation: HPD's Explorers program has nearly doubled. And through a partnership with the Clark County School District, Basic High School students can now take a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Law Enforcement course taught by a retired HPD captain, gaining hands-on instruction in Nevada law and police procedures and a pathway to a future career with HPD.