HENDERSON, Nev. -- Henderson’s police chief announced his retirement effective Sept. 5.

Richard Perkins served the city for 25 years.

"It is with a sense of great pride and accomplishment that I announce I will be retiring as Chief of Police for the city of Henderson,” Perkins said in a news release. “Serving as chief has been the culmination of 25 rewarding years in law enforcement. However, it is time for me to seek my new challenges in the private sector."

Perkins joined the police department in 1984 and served as a field training officer, police investigator, sergeant, captain and deputy police chief. In 2006, he was named the 10th police chief since Henderson’s incorporation in 1953.

“When I was honored with the opportunity to lead the department two years ago, it was with the understanding that my task was to shape it for the future. I feel that has been accomplished and am confident that the safety of the city will be in competent hands and that the Henderson Police Department will remain the finest in the country,” Perkins said in the release.

When Perkins joined the department in 1984, the police department had approximately 30 officers. Today, the department employs 391 officers and 150 civilian employees.

“Over the course of his career, Chief Perkins has been integral to helping mold the Henderson Police Department into one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the state,” Henderson Mayor James B. Gibson said in the release. “We appreciate all he has done for our city and commend him for his long and distinguished service to the people of Henderson. While we will certainly miss his leadership, we want to wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Under Perkins’ leadership, the city of Henderson Police Department was reaccredited through the Commission for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies in 2005 and 2008. Perkins was also instrumental in the creation of the department’s first mounted patrol, which will begin in July.