David Roger is retiring but he may not be out of work for long

By Joe Schoenmann

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011 | 12:08 p.m.

District Attorney David Roger is retiring but he might not be out of work for long.

Though speculation has been that he is on his way to a job working as lead attorney for the Police Protective Association, Chris Collins, PPA executive director, said no such deal is set. But if Roger were available to work, Collins added, "we would be interested."

Roger emailed staff today announcing his retirement, effective Jan. 3. He said that at 50, he has become "very cognizant" of his mortality and wants "to spend every minute of every day enjoying time with my family." Roger's wife, who is a municipal court judge, recently gave birth to the couple's first child.

Sun columnist Jon Ralston reported Sunday that Roger has talked to Police Protective Association officials "about coming aboard to help defend officers against criminal complaints."

Responding to a query from Ralston, Roger answered via text message: "I am not going to address rumors. You will be one of the first people I call if my status ever changes."

If Roger takes a job with the police union, he might work fewer hours than he has as head of the county's prosecutors. But people familiar with the union and the District Attorney's Office said it would be a step down in prestige.

It might also be less stressful, however.

This year, Roger has been at odds with many members of the Clark County Commission, especially when he refused to consider looking at budget cuts for his office. He said he had already cut his office to the bone. Then he disputed county calculations of average wages and compensation for his attorneys, saying the calculations were too high. So the county hired an outside auditor who confirmed the county's figures.

During the legislative session, Roger testified with the police union on behalf of a bill banning the use of coroner's inquests to look into shooting deaths by police. The bill failed but it created more of a schism between him and county commissioners, who months earlier had approved updates to the coroner's inquest process.