No prosecution

The police officers caught on video repeatedly kicking a seriously ill man in the head and kneeing him in the chest — thus breaking his ribs — during a traffic stop in 2010 will not face any criminal charges, newly appointed Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Monday.

The state police dashboard video captured Henderson officers and Highway Patrol troopers pulling Adam Greene out of his vehicle. Once Mr. Greene is on the ground, Henderson Sgt. Brett Seekatz enters the frame and kicks him five times in the head. Another Henderson officer knees Mr. Greene four times in the midsection.

Police evidently mistook the man — who was in diabetic shock — for a drunken driver.

Sgt. Seekatz supposedly was disciplined by his department, though the details of any such wrist-slap remain secret. He retains the rank of sergeant.

The video was made public by Mr. Greene’s attorney last month upon the announcement that Henderson and the state had agreed to pay Mr. Greene and his family a total of $292,500. Henderson Chief of Police Jutta Chambers was asked to resign, which she did, effective today.

Mr. Wolfson said although he and other attorneys in his office seriously considered charging Sgt. Seekatz, too much time had passed since the 2010 incident. “I’m troubled by the conduct that was displayed in the video,” Mr. Wolfson said. But “I don’t think it’s in the community’s best interest to file a charge because it’s so long after the incident.”

And why has the matter come to light only now, 16 months later? Because Henderson police and politicians successfully kept the matter under wraps. So the signal Mr. Wolfson’s decision really sends is: If you can keep an incident like this out of the public eye for a while, we’ll probably ignore it.

Mr. Wolfson, a former Las Vegas City Council member who was sworn in last week, insisted that under his tenure, police would be held to a high standard. “I hope that police officers out in the field recognize that this conduct is troubling,” Mr. Wolfson said. “Their (police) conduct will be scrutinized in the future.”

Why not now?

Mr. Wolfson is off to a disappointing start.