THE TEAM
NATE CHIO
Nate Chio is a retired lieutenant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where he dedicated nearly 28 years of service. He began his career in Patrol Services before transitioning to a detective role in the VIPER Auto Theft Task Force, Narcotics, and Criminal Intelligence/Organized Crime Unit. After promotion to Sergeant, he gained extensive investigative experience in the Problem-Solving Unit, Internal Affairs, Patrol Investigations, and again in Organized Crime.
In 2017, he advanced to the rank of Lieutenant, serving as a shift lieutenant, Watch Commander, and later leading sections within the Office of Community Engagement, Special Investigations, and Narcotics. Concurrently, he served in an ancillary capacity with the LVMPD Crisis Negotiator Team (CNT), assuming the role of team leader in 2020. He was also the backup SWAT commander.
Mr. Chio holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a master’s degree in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. Mr. Chio concluded his career as the commander of the Criminal Intelligence/Organized Crime Section, CNT team leader, and backup SWAT commander, reflecting a legacy of leadership and operational expertise. Mr. Chio consults in the areas of policy, procedures, and training.
ZAKARY COTTREL
Mr. Zakary Cottrell served with the Albuquerque Police Department from 2004 to 2024, gaining expertise in patrol, traffic management, internal affairs, fiscal management, policy development, training, and community engagement. As Major of the Support Services Division and Major/Deputy Director of Police Reform, he led compliance initiatives and oversaw administrative investigations into use-of-force incidents and police misconduct. His role involved assessing investigations for adherence to department policy and settlement agreement provisions and engaging with community stakeholders to address concerns.
Mr. Cottrell collaborated extensively with independent monitors and representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice to ensure compliance, developing policies on administrative investigations and discipline to meet settlement requirements.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Herzing University and has completed various professional development programs. During his tenure, he served on multiple boards and committees, making significant contributions to policy and operational improvements within the department.
CORI LOWE
Ms. Cori Lowe is a retired Deputy Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department, where she served from July 2005 to December 2023. She led the creation and management of the APD Accountability/Compliance Bureau, achieving a 98% operational compliance rate under the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement, which emphasized the use of force and mental health.
Ms. Lowe’s leadership included streamlining policy development, establishing oversight boards for officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths, and guiding extensive process improvements in auditing and self-assessments. She also established an executive-level working group to conduct semiannual reviews of officer-involved shootings, resulting in recommendations for policy, training, tactics, supervision, and equipment.
Since her retirement, Ms. Lowe has conducted quality assurance reviews for the Minneapolis Police Department and served as an Associate Monitor for the City of Portland’s settlement agreement. Her diverse background covers key roles in compliance, oversight, special investigations, data analytics, training, and field services, bolstered by her service in the United States Air Force. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Wayland Baptist University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and an Associate of Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force.
ROBERT PLUMMER
Mr. Robert Plummer is a highly accomplished law enforcement professional with over three decades of experience, possessing advanced degrees in Organizational Leadership. Notably, he pioneered the Force Investigation Team for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), the department’s first stand-alone unit investigating officers’ use of deadly force, as the leader of the Critical Incident Review Team (CIRT).
Robert oversaw the Collaborative Reform Process and championed the department’s POST-certified training on Procedural Justice through Non-Bias Policing. His collaborative efforts with the District Attorney’s Office, FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office garnered national recognition for transparency and accountability. Beyond LVMPD, he served as Chief of Police for the City of Napa, CA, focusing on effective policing, community engagement, and operational efficiency.
Mr. Plummer’s background includes leading major investigations as Captain of the Homicide and Sex Crimes Bureau and implementing enterprise-wide security measures at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. He remains dedicated to public safety, providing security expertise as a Licensed Private Investigator and Police and Security Consultant. Additionally, Mr. Plummer maintains active memberships in the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
ROBERT WHITELEY
Robert Whiteley served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) for over 25 years, retiring as a Detective Sergeant. He possesses over 15 years of extensive investigative experience and expertise, including investigations into political corruption, vice, illegal firearms, and robbery. During the past five years of his career, he supervised investigative units. Robert served as a federal task force officer with the ATF, FBI, DEA, and IRS.
Robert spent eight years in LVMPD’s Criminal Intelligence Section, where he investigated numerous high-profile cases, including the arrest and conviction of a Clark County Recorder who unlawfully sold county records; Nevada’s most significant public corruption case, where 45 defendants were federally indicted for crimes associated with defrauding multiple homeowners associations; and a medical investigation case involving the intentional spread of Hepatitis C resulting in the prosecution and conviction of four defendants, including the doctor/owner of the clinic.
As a supervisor, Robert was instrumental in developing a newly formed Central Intelligence Unit whose mission was to use intelligence-based methods to identify violent offenders for prosecution and reduce violent crime in Las Vegas. He has received local and nationwide awards, including recognition for his response to the October 1 shooting on the Strip.
KENNETH MEAD
Mr. Kenneth Mead retired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) in 2023 after nearly 26 years of service. His assignments included patrol, field training officer, gang investigations, counterterrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force, academy instructor, and, most recently, he served as the program coordinator for the LVMPD’s Threat Assessment Program for Targeted Violence. Additionally, he served as the terrorism liaison to the Nevada legislative session in 2022–2023, refining and instituting the LVMPD department’s policies and procedures for the use of high-risk protection orders and threat assessment while drafting legislation on both topics.
Kenneth Mead has a Bachelor of Arts in Abnormal Psychology, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, and a post-graduate certification in Forensic Psychology. He serves as a consultant for the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Mass Violence Advisory Initiative and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research. Mead is an active member of the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He has coordinated projects with the National Policing Institute, the New York-based Gun Violence Research Consortium, and national working groups on the use of “red flag laws” in the United States. He regularly presents at conferences on topics relating to threat assessment and management, mass/targeted violence, and domestic terrorism.
Kenneth was one of several local police detectives certified as a threat management coordinator with the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit 1 (Terrorism and Targeted Violence).
During the October 1 incident, Kenneth drafted the initial search warrant for the suspect’s home. Then, he transitioned into the role of lead interrogator/interviewer of the suspect’s girlfriend to determine a motive and a psychological profile of the suspect. Additionally, just days before retiring, he responded to and coordinated the identification of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas mass shooter and developed an initial threat profile for said shooter.
