LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Within 24 hours of his appointment, Louisville’s new interim police chief is making swift changes to how the department handles harassment claims.
During a news conference Tuesday, Interim Chief Paul Humphrey said the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) will have a “zero-tolerance” policy for sexual harassment.
It comes as the department faces a series of sexual harassment allegations and lawsuits over the last two weeks, one of which resulted in former police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel’s being put on administrative leave as an independent investigator looked into her handling of the claim.
Gwinn-Villaroel ended up resigning on June 25.
“Fostering an atmosphere and a respectful environment within LMPD for all employees is vital to the overall success of this agency in this city,” he said Tuesday. “It is important that we get this right and uphold the values and standards of this department.”
Following his appointment as interim chief, Humphrey announced immediate changes to LMPD’s harassment policies and procedures.
According to a three-page special order, sent to all officers on Tuesday, the changes clearly define sexual abuse, harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual discrimination.
“Before [sexual harassment] was lumped in with multiple forms of harassment and racial discrimination,” he added.
How will LMPD handle sexual harassment?
The new policy encourages officers to immediately report allegations of harassment.
Previously, victims were bound to make their report through the department's chain of command, Humphrey said. Now, reports can be sent to any supervisor within LMPD or externally to Louisville Metro Government.
Officers can report harassment, abuse, or discrimination directly to the chief’s office, the Special Investigations Division (SID), LMPD’s HR department, the Louisville Metro HR compliance manager, the Metro Ethics Tipline, or the Office of the Inspector General -- the police accountability arm of Metro Government.
Louisville Inspector General Edward Harness is encouraged the special order explicitly references his office as a safe space outside of LMPD where officers can turn to report sexual misconduct.
"It's good that it's more explicitly detailed within LMPD policy," Harness told WHAS11 on Wednesday. "They can come to us and trust that our process will be fair and thorough for them."
But Harness said the words on paper, and policy as a whole, will only be as impactful as the culture surrounding them.
"There seems to be intimation and retaliation for those coming forward to whatever reporting agency, whether it be command or any other entity. And so, that has to change. And that has to be department wide, regardless of whether or not they come to us," he said. "It's our hope that this is the bottom and that everybody can move forward. Certainly, making sure that the allegations are thoroughly and fairly investigated, and that the behavior has to stop."
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If a complaint involves allegations of sexual harassment or sexual abuse, Humphrey said the commander will immediately ensure that the accused member is moved to avoid contact with the complainant.
The division commander will conduct a preliminary investigation, and based on the information gathered, LMPD’s police chief may begin an investigation through the SID.
Violations of LMPD’s updated harassment policies will result in disciplinary action, including potentially being fired from the department, Humphrey warned.
“We must be better at creating a culture within our police department and our community to hold each other accountable and to improve every single day,” Humphrey said during Tuesday’s news conference.
Harness said that after multiple sexual harassment allegations against LMPD officers surfaced in the last two weeks, he made suggestions to police leadership and the Mayor on policy updates needed.
"I feel like they did take our input and have adopted it. And now we'll see if it comes to fruition," Harness said.
Meanwhile, an LMPD spokesperson told WHAS11 that the Jefferson County Attorney's Office (JCAO), the primary legal counsel for Metro Government, continues to offer sexual harassment training "regularly to new recruit classes and otherwise on request."
LMPD added that JCAO also trained executive command last week on "issues related to sexual harassment."
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