Wednesday, March 2, 2005 | 9:39 a.m.
Henderson Police Chief Michael Mayberry began his career in law enforcement as a part-time reserve officer in 1976 when the city's population was less than 20,000 and consisted of "a whole lot of desert."
Nearly 30 years later, Mayberry, who has battled a heart condition for some time, announced his retirement from the police department of one of the fastest growing cities in the country with a population of more than 230,000.
"This is a 24-7, never-goes-away, calls-in-the-middle-of-the-night kind of job," Mayberry said while sitting behind his desk Tuesday. "Unfortunately my health is telling me I need to retire."
His retirement is effective April 4.
"I was going to retire April 1, but I was afraid nobody would believe me," he said with a laugh.
Deputy Chief James White, currently in charge of support services, will be acting chief as the city launches a nationwide search March 8.
A statement from Mayor Jim Gibson and the city council says: "We know that with his departure we are losing a leader and dedicated public servant. We send our best wishes to him and his family now as they deal with the health concerns that have led him to this decision."
Metro Police Undersheriff Doug Gillespie met Mayberry when they both were young patrol officers. Mayberry rose up through the ranks to be an innovative leader, Gillsepie said.
"I consider him to be a true professional and he has always been a very progressive police chief," Gillespie said. "Whenever somebody like that retires there's part of you that's disappointed. Mike is a true partner in policing in the valley and he's definitely going to be missed."
Mayberry, 52, a Las Vegas native, began working for Henderson Police full-time as a patrol officer in 1978.
Over the course of his career he did just about everything, from investigating homicides and forgeries as a detective to leading all of the uniformed patrol officers.
In August 1999, when he was head of the department's support services, which includes the ancillary functions of the department including the jail, records and crime scene analysts, he was tapped to be acting chief for retiring chief Tommy Burns.
He was named chief in April 2000.
Under his leadership Mayberry in 2002 secured a prestigious national accreditation, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, in which outside evaluators do a top-to-bottom analysis of the department.
One of the last things he will do is appear before the re-accreditation committee this month, he said. Accreditation lasts three years.
The department is also ahead of the pack in terms of technology, he said -- specifically its dispatch operations. It's the only police department in Nevada to have e-911 capabilities, meaning a police dispatcher can determine a cell phone caller's location.
Despite these accomplishments, Mayberry said his legacy will be something intangible.
"I think my legacy will be that from the first day I was chief until the day I leave, I have always preached that the most important thing we have as a police agency is our relationship with our community," he said. "I always try to do what was best for my community and try to instill that in my officers."
Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, a department deputy chief, said Mayberry's mantra is, "People don't care how much you know if they don't know how much you care."
"Partnering with the community has been his life's goal and I think he's transformed the character of the department, " Perkins said. "I can't emphasize enough what he means to the department and the entire city. Filling his shoes will be impossible."
Asked if he is interested in the job, Perkins said at one point in his career getting into the chief's office was a goal. But with his political career -- he is currently in Carson City at the Legislature -- he felt it would be disservice to the department to apply for a job when he would be out of town until June.
Further, he pointed out he had planned to retire himself a few months ago but decided to stay on for the time being. Perkins is also expected to run for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006.
Looking back on his career, Mayberry remembers responding to calls in which a husband has beaten his wife and feeling frustrated because there were no laws against domestic violence.
Many crimes will stay with him, he said, but the one that signified a shift in crime in Henderson and will stand out most prominently in his memory is the Ross Dress for Less armored car heist and murders in 2000.
Masked gunmen carrying assault rifles shot and killed two armored car guards in an ambush at the strip mall at 649 Stephanie St. before escaping with three bags of money. Three men were arrested and later convicted in the crime.
"I'll certainly never forget Ross Dress for Less," he said. "It was the first time Henderson experienced violence on that scale."
As Mayberry wraps up loose ends, the city will begin a nationwide search for his replacement to lead the department.
Ted Cooper, Henderson's manager of employment and compensation, said he is designing a color brochure advertising the vacancy. The position pays between $93,203 and $146,819.
Down the road candidates will be evaluated by a panel of city leaders, who will decide who to hire, he said.
Asked what he will do will do once no longer has the responsibility of running the 267-officer, 147-civilian department, Mayberry gestured to a guitar leaning against a wall in his office.
"I want to try to play guitar in a blues band," he said, smiling.
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