With a career full of firsts, Chief Chambers ready to lead police force

Heather Cory

Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers leads the police department of the second-largest city in Nevada. When she became a police officer in 1983, the department had only 30 officers.

By Dave Clark (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 | midnight

Heather Cory

Appointed Chief of Police in September, Jutta Chambers is the 11th person to head the Henderson Police Department since 1953. Chambers joined the department as its first female patrol officer in 1983.

Heather Cory

Jutta Chambers sits at her desk at the Henderson Police Department. Afte 25 years with the department, she was appointed its chief in September.

As the child of an Army ballistics missile specialist, Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers traveled the world in her youth, living in Iran, Germany, Texas, California, New Hampshire and Hawaii.

Now, after 25 years with the Henderson Police Department, Chambers has firmly planted roots in Nevada.

In 1983, Chambers became the department's first female patrol officer. She became a sergeant in 1993. In September, she became the city's first female police chief after Richard Perkins retired.

"I wanted to be a police officer since I was a little girl," Chambers said.

She joined the El Paso, Texas, Police Explorers program at 12, where she was able to wear a uniform and assist with special events and crowd control. When she turned 17, she joined the Air Force as a law enforcement specialist and K-9 handler.

"When you're 17 you can't wait for anything," Chambers said. "I wasn't old enough to be a police officer, so I joined the military."

When she completed her enlistment at Nellis Air Force Base, she was hired by Henderson Police. She said her youth in a military family helped her succeed as a police officer.

"At the time when I was a child, moving around wasn't that fun," Chambers said. "Now when I look back on it, it was a great experience to see how people across the world lived."

Once on the force, she became the first female undercover narcotics officer.

"It was quite a surprise to the criminal element here in Henderson that I was an officer instead of a fellow drug user," Chambers said.

She considers her rise to sergeant, the first woman to do so, a major milestone. To this day she considers that step to be her biggest accomplishment.

"I think it was very difficult for the department to get to the point in their development that they hired their first female officer, and then take the next step to say it was OK to be a female supervisor," Chambers said. "I think there's now a lot more acceptance that it's just a person. Gender isn't a factor."

Sgt. Monique Swanson has been able to learn from Chambers during a two-week job shadowing program.

"I've just been very impressed with her interaction with various people and her foresight when there's an issue on the table — her ability to see a long-term projected impact," Swanson said.

During the shadowing, Swanson attended meetings between the chief and other city department heads.

"The chief and command staff have to stop and think about not only their decisions' impact on the police department, but how it affects the city's interaction with other entities," Swanson said. "It's been an enlightening experience for me."

When Chambers joined, she was one of just 30 officers. Now there are nearly 400 — 36 of them women. She lists adjusting to that growth — specifically in the K-9 unit, SWAT team and patrol divisions — as her greatest challenge ahead.

Another challenge she is facing is falling tax revenue. Chambers, along with other city department heads, has been asked to trim the operating budget 10 percent.

As a result, reductions will be made in overtime, training and travel, she said. The department has also postponed a number of projects: an academic building at the College of Southern Nevada, the purchase of in-car video equipment and the addition of full-time officers for the mounted unit, SWAT team and traffic unit.

However, the Police Department has been exempt from a hiring freeze the city instituted.

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or dave.clark@hbcpub.com.