LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced on Tuesday Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, who has served as Louisville Metro’s police chief for nearly a year, has resigned.
The announcement came during a media briefing centered on LMPD.
Gwinn-Villaroel's resignation comes amid her handling of a sexual harassment allegation which was made by an LMPD employee against another who was up for a promotion. The mayor put her on paid administrative leave as a result of her mishandling of the investigation.
Acting Chief Paul Humphrey was named as interim chief and he will be the sixth chief LMPD has had in four years.
“It’s a lot of turnovers, there’s no doubt about that. But at some point, they have to get it right,” said Kentucky Representative Jason Nemes, R-District 33. “I think it’s inevitable that the decision was made that we would have a new police chief. I think Humphrey is the right person, I’m hoping that he is, I believe that he is.”
Greenberg publicly backed Gwinn-Villaroel when she first took the job.
“The mayor needs to get it right, I know he’s focused on getting it right and I have confidence that he will," Nemes said. "Anything that the legislature can do to be supportive, we want to be supportive of LMPD, it’s a very important part of our community. But, we can’t get it wrong again. There won’t be any more room for mistakes.”
Greenberg and Humphrey also announced immediate changes to LMPD's sexual harassment policies: clearly defining sexual harassment, new ways to report, mandatory training, and additional support systems.
Sara Collins is the attorney who filed two lawsuits on behalf of two LMPD officers just last week, accusing other top officers of sexual harassment. She said she has "cautious optimism" about LMPD's future and the reform.
RELATED: 3 LMPD officers on 'administrative leave' after string of sexual harassment allegations, mayor says
“I was really pleased that these conversations are occurring, that there are plans to institute much needed policy changes – in education and a change in practice," Collins said. “There needs to be a lot of education for officers, not only what conduct to stop – by why, what’s wrong with it, and what’s offensive. The department has implemented a lot of programs that sound good in theory, that may be sort of a band aid, but don’t address the problem. It’s almost like there is a lack of heart within it or lack of understanding of the actual problem.”
Attorney Lonita Baker, who represented Breonna Taylor's family, is looking for transparency with new LMPD leadership.
“At this point, LMPD has almost become a broken clock," Baker said. “To say that because of what’s happened in the last couple of weeks, or month, we have to take these drastic changes…no, we knew these when the DOJ report came out. The process was shielded when we hired the initial chief for Mayor Greenberg’s administration. And to come out with someone internally, we don’t really know what that process was.”
Gwinn-Villaroel was the permanent chief for less than a year, named to the position on July 20, 2023.
Greenberg said she'll continue to be paid for four more months.
The mayor added there is no current search for the next chief because the department needs to focus on completing consent decree negotiations with the Department of Justice.
Watch the full news conference below:
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.