Q+A: SHERIFF DOUG GILLESPIE

Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007 | 7:01 a.m.

His first day as top cop and Doug Gillespie was going full tilt at the grindstone, nose first.

After the pomp and circumstance of a swearing-in ceremony, Clark County's new sheriff blew through a brigade of scheduled 20-minute media interviews and sprinted straight into an afternoon full of meetings.

Nine hours after his hand-on-the-Bible vow to "support, protect and defend" Nevada from her enemies, the Sun caught up with Gillespie. By then, he had answered the same questions over and over.

Our interview steered toward hard questions about his softer side. For example, the new sheriff wants you to know he's compassionate. Also, he would prefer the power of flying because he likes the view from above. (Clearly.) And he is always armed - one gun for his uniform and another for his suits.

Gillespie, 48, has worked at Metro for 26 years; on Tuesday, his iron grip and toothy grin seemed more like that of a giddy rookie cop.

His predecessor, Bill Young, now just another civilian, shared his advice for Clark County's 16th sheriff: "Keep your head screwed on straight. Don't let the glamour of politics and rubbing elbows with the power elite get to your head."

Also, he said, be honest with the press.

How has Metro changed since you were a beat cop?

Size alone is the biggest contrast. Back when I was hired on, most everybody knew each other. Now we're just so much bigger that you don't. Equipmentwise, we're just light-years ahead of where we were when I hired on. When I hired on, you had a department-issue handgun, a baton, a couple pairs of handcuffs and some mace that really didn't work. Today you have the Tasers, you have mace that actually works, you have a variety of handguns that you can carry.

What kind of gun do you carry and have you ever been forced to shoot it?

I've never had to shoot it at someone, but I carry a Beretta 9 mm if I'm in uniform. In plainclothes, I have another Beretta that I carry, a .380.

When was your last arrest and what was it for?

I made an arrest as the undersheriff. About two years ago, coming into work, I stopped a car that was driving erratically. The driver had numerous felony warrants.

What have you done differently than your peers to get where you are today?

I always have believed in a strong work ethic. I think that was an asset for me throughout my career. When people were looking for someone to fill a job, I was right up there. You have to experience all levels to rise up through an organization, and at times, you are going to take on some jobs that aren't the whistle-and-stick side of policing. That is my counsel to a lot of people: You need to look at the other spokes of the wheel that make this place run.

What is the biggest issue facing Metro today?

Right now, jail beds. Not enough of them.

If you could throw a dinner party with five people from any point in time, alive or dead, whom would you invite?

I would definitely have my dad. I would definitely have my mom. I would have Gordon Wright, my elementary school teacher and Little League coach. I would have (former Sheriff) John Moran and my wife.

What makes you happiest?

Being around my family.

What makes you angriest?

Things not getting done thoroughly.

What was the last mistake that you made?

The most recent addition to my family was scratching at the door this morning. I didn't immediately get up to let her out and she had an accident. I just got a little puppy.

What kind of puppy?

She's a German shepherd. Is there any other kind of dog?

Who would win in a fistfight - you or Bill Young?

Bill Young. Bill is much more of a brawler than I am.

Which would you prefer, the ability to fly or invisibility?

The ability to fly. I really believe the ability to see things from above is great .

What are you afraid of?

Other than driving on U.S. 95 coming to work in the morning? Failure.

If you were at a friend's house for dinner and found a dead cockroach in your salad, what would you do?

Depends on how close a friend it is. A close friend? I'd have some fun with that. An acquaintance? I would probably just get rid of my salad.

What don't people know about you?

I am an avid reader of fiction novels. I read a fiction book and then I usually read a work book, a leadership book or something to do with policing. I rotate.

How do you think you're perceived? Is that perception accurate?

I'm perceived as very business, very matter of fact, someone who doesn't demonstrate a lot of compassion. People who are around me a lot find out I truly am (compassionate).

Which is better - having the idea, or making it happen?

Making it happen. I have never looked upon myself as an idea person. I have always been very effective in my personal and professional life by listening to other people and then incorporating their ideas. I get much more satisfaction out of implementing the idea than I do with coming up with ideas.

What is the last thing that made you laugh hard?

This morning, my teenage daughter was having some interaction with her grandmother in regards to her hair. I wasn't bellow laughing in my house but I was definitely laughing very hard because it brought back a lot of memories.

If you ran into your opponent in the sheriff race, Jerry Airola, at the grocery store, what would you do?

I invited him out to lunch a couple weeks after the election. We sat down and talked. If I saw him in a store, first thing would be, "How are you doing? How is your family? How are things going?"

Gillespie volunteered a final thought.

"I think that was the toughest interview I ever had to do."