LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) is taking its search for new officers nationwide as the chief tries to recruit from her old department.
The billboard in downtown Atlanta shows Chief Erika Shields, who was Chief of Police at the Atlanta Police Department for four years before stepping down in 2020, with the message – “Join us in Louisville" and "Laterals Welcome.”
Shields, who was not available for interview Wednesday, said in a statement that she knows the APD "is well-trained and very diverse."
"Just as I know LMPD has an enormous amount to offer prospective officers," Shields said. "I'm hopeful we can glean some solid hires from our recruitment trips, of which Atlanta is one such stop."
At a news conference Wednesday addressing recruitment efforts, LMPD Major Emily McKinley said the decision was made to visit Atlanta first because Shields is well-known by officers in the area.
"She's well-respected down there by the other officers," she said. "So we knew that they'd recognize her and feel comfortable with that face."
The department's Recruitment and Selection Team, which McKinley supervises, will visit Atlanta next week, recruiting and conducting testing from March 23 through March 27.
LMPD says the testing will allow potential recruits to complete their testing in a "one-stop-shop" without needing to travel to Louisville. McKinley says the goal is to also attract officers from neighboring areas there as well.
"It's difficult nationwide to get people to be police officers right now," McKinley said. "We want to search the country for the right people."
McKinley was asked to address whether this could be considered poaching from another department. She said that’s not their intent.
"Our officers have [also] gone to other police departments for different reasons, whether that be their family is from a different city or their spouse may be relocating to another city," McKinley said.
The department is offering an $8,000 hiring and a $3,000 relocation incentive.
McKinley said LMPD has roughly 200-300 open police officer positions. Based on the department's data in March, they have 1,033 sworn members.
She also said that for the first time since 2016, a Lateral Officer class will be conducted on May 30, meaning experience level for things like pay and PTO will carry over -- but seniority won't. A New Police Officer class also starts June 20, with additional new officer classes planned for Fall 2022.
McKinley said LMPD plans to expand recruitment in cities throughout the nation including Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Nashville later this year.
For more information on these jobs, you can visit LMPD’s website.
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