Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel named first Black woman to be Louisville's permanent police chief
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Thursday that interim Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel will continue to lead the department, making her the first Black woman to serve permanently as the Louisville Metro Police Department’s chief.
Gwinn-Villaroel, who came to Louisville from Atlanta to serve as a deputy under former Chief Erika Shields, expressed gratitude for being selected.
"I want to acknowledge you (Greenberg) for taking a leap of faith on this individual - me - that came here that you knew nothing about, but you took a leap of faith to allow me to lead, and you saw my leadership abilities, and you said, 'Go forth, Jackie,'" she said.
She added it was her "calling to serve and protect those who cannot take care of themselves and who need my service."
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New chief will likely oversee consent decree
Gwinn-Villaroel will remain head of a department that will almost definitely be operating under a court-monitored consent decree. It would follow a Department of Justice report that found LMPD and city government engage in a pattern and practice of violating federal law and the Constitution. Among other things, the report found the police department has used excessive force and discriminated against Black residents.
The decree, a federal court-approved settlement, would mandate steps to be taken by the department to improve. There is no set time limit on how long the decree will last, and the department can only be released from the oversight if it meets the decree's goals and the court finds it in compliance.
Greenberg said helping implement the terms of that consent decree in the department will likely be one of her key responsibilities, along with efforts to fight gun violence, work with the community and improve LMPD's culture and staffing with more than 250 open positions.
Hiring process drew criticism
The announcement comes after a hiring process that drew criticism, including over decisions not to name finalists and requiring the seven members of Greenberg's advisory panel to sign nondisclosure agreements about the search, which included 20 applicants and four interviews.
Greenberg said he relied on "an enormous amount of public input before making this decision," with focus groups and virtual town halls along with a virtual survey calling for feedback. In the end, he said at a news conference, he found "the best person to do this work is already on the job."
He praised Gwinn-Villaroel's experience, with more than 25 years working in policing, along with her compassion, citing her response with victims in the immediate aftermath of the Old National Bank shooting on April 10. Five people and the shooter were killed and several others were injured in that incident, including an LMPD officer who is still recovering.
Thursday, Gwinn-Villaroel said she plans to work with members of the Louisville community – including gun violence groups, elected officials, the NAACP, Louisville Urban League and other organizations – to build a better relationship and "get it right." She said her priorities include addressing gun violence and rebuilding community trust and that she wants to "move aggressively into what we call community policing."
Advocates have called for increased diversity
Policing is an overwhelmingly white profession, and reform advocates have for decades called for police departments to increase diversity.
In 2020, the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the Department of Justice reported that just 6% of chiefs of local police departments were Black, though chiefs were much more likely to be Black in departments serving 250,000 or more residents.
Robert White was the first Black person to lead the Louisville department, according to Kevin Trager, press secretary for the mayor. During the search for a chief amid the unrest following the police shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020, White told former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer he wasn't interested in becoming interim chief, and Yvette Gentry later became the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the force on an interim basis in 2020.
Many cities have hired Black chiefs, often for the first time, after facing backlash for similar incidents. Louisville's announcement comes after another woman, Pamela Smith, became the first African American woman to lead the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
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Contributing: Joseph Gerth and Darcy Costello, Louisville Courier Journal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Louisville police chief: Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel takes on role
