New Henderson Police Chief becomes first black woman to hold title

HENDERSON, Nev. (KSNV) — 

LaTesha Watson is the new chief of police for the city of Henderson.

Chief Watson came from Arlington, Texas where she worked as deputy police chief, she was the youngest to ever hold that title.

That’s not the only barrier she’s broken. She’s also the first black woman to serve as chief of police in the city of Henderson.

“Being a female there’s always the unwritten code that you have to work harder. That’s not just in law enforcement that’s in a multitude of professions. Although when you look at me you see a female and you see an African American, through all the hard work that I’ve provided in law enforcement, they didn’t worry about that. They didn’t see that; they saw a leader,” said Watson.

With more than two decades of law enforcement experience, Watson started her career in 1994. Since then she has served in many different capacities, from a 911 operator to being assigned to the jail, to working her way up the ladder to Chief of Police.

Chief Watson is taking over the reins at Henderson Police Department after the former police Chief Patrick Moers was forced to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment, an atmosphere that Chief Watson says won’t be tolerated on her watch.

“As far as sexual harassment or any type of harassment, it’s unacceptable,” said Watson.

Chief Watson holds some other important titles. She’s a mother, wife, has a Master’s of Science in Criminology, a Ph.D. in organizational leadership, and she’s working toward another Ph.D. in International Psychology.

“Working in a male-dominated field, as well as completing Ph.D.’s and being a mother and a wife it’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of multi-tasking,” said Chief Watson.

Chief Watson is just coming up on her 60-day mark with the department, she …

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