Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 | 12:27 p.m.
Jerry Hafen, a lifelong Clark County resident and 35-year law enforcement veteran, announced he is stepping down as the Department of Public Safety's director at the end of this year.
Hafen will retire Dec. 31, ending his role overseeing the Nevada Highway Patrol, State Fire Marshal's Office and Division of Emergency Management/Homeland Security, among others. He was appointed by the governor in early 2008.
Officials from the governor's office said Hafen led the creation of the K-9 unit within the Department of Public Safety using donated funds and money seized from major drug traffickers — a move they credit with helping dismantle drug trafficking operations.
He also helped with the creation of the anti-terrorism Fusion Center in Carson City and integrating Homeland Security into the Nevada Division of Emergency Management.
Hafen began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer in 1975 and has since served as an investigator for the State Taxicab Authority, a State Gaming Enforcement agent, a senior investigator for the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety Bureau of Enforcement, and various roles within the Department of Public Safety.
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