As an outsider named last summer to head a police department that traditionally has picked its chiefs from within, Henderson Police Chief Alan Kerstein faced resistance - some personal, some professional - from the start.
That was not helped when Kerstein pursued some changes without seeking sufficient input from officers, or, to some, micromanaged his department - for example, by deciding to change the color of officers' badges.
But perhaps the most notable aspect of Kerstein's tenure was its brevity.
Monday, only seven months after taking over as Henderson's police chief, Kerstein called it quits, telling officers he did not want to "become a disruptive force" in the organization.
Kerstein's retirement, which surprised officers and the city's administrative staff, is a temporary setback to a department amid a reorganization that will see its number of officers double over the next five years.
No decision or timetable has been made on his replacement, but it could open the door to either Chief Deputy James White or Deputy Chief Richard Perkins, who is also speaker of the Assembly.
In a letter to Henderson City Manager Phil Speight, Kerstein, 59, said he planned to retire to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
But in an e-mail sent to officers, Kerstein said, without elaborating, that he "could have handled some things a little more smoothly, tactfully and diplomatically" and regretted causing anyone any problems.
"I don't want to become a disruptive force in the organization, so I believe my moving on will allow everyone to regroup and continue on with the growth and progressive thinking you have shown," Kerstein said in the e-mail. He could not be reached for comment.
Kerstein, who came to Henderson after serving as chief of the Los Angeles Unified School Police Department, called the Henderson post his "dream job." His parents live in Henderson.
Assistant City Manager Mark Calhoun said he had not seen Kerstein's letter to officers and declined to speculate on its meaning.
Asked if there is turmoil in the department, Calhoun said every department in every city has some turmoil.
"Alan wouldn't have applied if he knew this was going to a be a short-term thing," Calhoun said. "Something came up in the last two or three months and who knows what it is. He wanted to pursue a job in the private sector, and we can accept that."
Sgt. Jack Brooks, head of the Police Supervisors Association, said he was not aware of the disruption that Kerstein referred to in his letter. He added, though, that it is difficult for any new chief to try to make changes.
"You get into personalities," Brooks said. "He felt coming to the department he wanted to do some things and change some direction, and maybe there was some resentment to that. I don't know. We can only wish him well."
Board members of the Henderson Police Officers Association could not be reached for comment.
But one former board member said Kerstein, in a department already divided by factions in union and management staff, did not work well with others. That included one proposal to switch officers' badges and metal nameplates from gold to silver without first discussing the idea with officers.
"One of the criticisms I have heard is that he focused on the minutia and missed the important things like morale," said the former board member, who asked not to be identified.
Another former board member said he has heard of tensions between Kerstein and his management staff, some of whom opposed his proposed changes.
Calhoun said Kerstein made some changes that bettered the department, including a reorganization in December in which he added a third deputy chief position and filled it with Jutta Chambers, who became the highest ranking female officer in the city's history. Kerstein also began to implement a more extensive community policing program.
"In the short time he has been here, he has made contributions that we have benefited from and will continue to benefit from," Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers said.
But his tenure also was marked by controversy. In November, he apologized after it was revealed that he had an on-duty patrol officer pick him up in a squad car at McCarran International Airport when he flew back from vacation.
And in December, he drew criticism for ordering a police car for himself that had a sunroof and Bose radio. The chief later agreed to repay the city $830 for the sunroof, which Kerstein said would add value when the city resold the car.
Kerstein offered to stay in his job through June 6, but Speight declined the offer, Calhoun said. Kerstein will earn his monthly pay of $12,060 for the next 90 days, Calhoun said.
"With new people coming in and it being such a volatile organization, it would not be good to have him stay around," Calhoun said. "We thought it was best to stop it now."
No decision has been made on an interim replacement or how the next chief will be hired, Calhoun said. Kerstein was selected from a national pool of 80 candidates - a break, and to some not a welcome one, from Henderson's historic pattern of selecting its chiefs from within the existing ranks.
Brooks said the department needs a "cop's cop" as its chief.
"One that's realizing what's happening at the troop level and what they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis," Brooks said.
Neither White nor Perkins applied for the chief's post a year ago when Michael Mayberry retired. At the time, Perkins was preparing for a run for governor before deciding not to enter the race. Both declined to comment on whether they intend to seek the post.
Stavros Anthony, a Metro Police captain and member of the Nevada System of Higher Eduction Board of Regents, said he is interested in the job. He was one of four finalists when Kerstein got the job.
The No. 2 finalist behind Kerstein, James Herren, the Torrance, Calif., police chief, said he remains interested in the job. Based on Kerstein's retirement letter to officers, Herren said it is obvious that there are internal issues in the department that need to be resolved.
Kerstein had a similar short stint, from January through June 2002, when he served as police chief of West Valley City, Utah, leaving to work for the Los Angeles school district. He served 31 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he rose to the rank of commander.
Henderson has 344 officers, 49 of whom are women. Six women hold positions of sergeant and above.
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