LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than two months since asking his former police chief to resign, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg maintains he isn't looking nationally for LMPD's next leader.
"There is no national search underway. I do not have any intention right now of beginning a national search. Chief Humphrey is doing a wonderful job -- we're making a lot of good progress," Greenberg told WHAS11 on Thursday.
This comes as interim police Chief Paul Humphrey told reporters in August that he's "definitely interested in doing this permanently."
"Obviously, there has been dynamics that have happened over the last couple of months that I have very little control over," Humphrey said on August 28 after a Civilian Review and Accountability Board meeting. "But I'm excited about the opportunity, and hopefully this leads to some stability in the department that both the officers and the community can have some faith in."
LMPD has dealt with significant turnover in its top job over the last four years, with Humphrey being the 6th chief in just four years.
In June, Greenberg requested his then-police chief, Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel, resign amid an investigation into her handling of sexual misconduct allegations with the force. She lasted just 11 months on the job full-time.
On Thursday, Greenberg alluded to that investigation, led by former FBI agent David Beyer, being a factor in his decision not to conduct a search for a new chief.
"We're waiting for the conclusion of the Beyer report to come in and so at this time, there is no contemplation of a national search," Greenberg said. He didn't answer whether Humphrey has already been offered the top job, but did confirm he's being considered.
Lamont Collins, founder of the Roots 101 African American Museum, says he believes Humphrey already is the choice behind closed doors.
"There's no doubt," Collins said. "[I] definitely wouldn't be shocked if he got it. Once the Mayor says there's no national search, then [Humphrey is] the man. And I have no problem with him being the man."
Collins told WHAS11 he'd support Humphrey as the full-time chief, calling him a "good guy" who cares about the community and is dedicated to Louisville.
But Collins also made it clear he believes the city deserves a national interview process.
"It's a slap in the face when people find out they're never part of the process," he said.
Kentucky State Representative Keturah Herron, a Democrat who was on Greenberg's advisory committee for the last search, believes Humphrey has an edge because of Louisville's future under U.S. Department of Justice oversight.
The city has been in negotiations with the DOJ on a federal consent decree since February, with Greenberg telling WHAS11 he hopes to see a final draft sent off for approval by a federal judge before Thanksgiving.
"I just think it would not be a good move to bring somebody in until that process is over, so they know and understand what they're getting into, so they're able to lead," Herron said. "For the sake of that process, I think that currently right now Humphrey is the right person to stay until we get through that process."
Kentucky State Representative Jason Nemes, a Republican, put it simply.
"They better get it right this time. How many times are we going to swing and miss?" he told WHAS11. "I'm praying for [Humphrey], and I hold out hope that he's the one who can get it done."
But for people like Bob Federico, who lives in the Eastwood neighborhood in far eastern Jefferson County, there's skepticism a new chief can fix the issues they're seeing.
"It all boils down to response time and knowing that somebody is going to show up when you make the phone call," he told WHAS11.
Federico says residents in the area have grown frustrated with the lack of police presence in their subdivisions, specifically given they pay taxes for these services.
He doesn't fault LMPD, acknowledging they're short staffed and have to send more resources where they're most needed. But he does suggest this reality has led to pessimism, with folks doubtful that a new chief would fix the problem.
"They've just reached a point now where they believe they are just not heard, they are not identified with," Federico said referencing the Eastwood community.
It's why Federico and others in the Eastwood community, a neighborhood of about 15,000 people, are gathering petitions to become their own home rule-class city with its own police department.
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