LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After looking into the open cases referenced in the Department of Justice report, Louisville officials have determined no further investigations, or discipline of individual officers, will come next.
The DOJ's scathing report found the Louisville Metro Police Department has a pattern of discriminatory policing and identified 60+ cases of police misconduct.
Over the last two months, LMPD Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel and her executive team initiated a formal review of the 33 open cases not investigated by LMPD's professional Standards Unit. They did this to close gaps and potentially retroactively discipline officers.
Gwinn-Villaroel determined that no further punishment directly related to the DOJ's findings will be handed down.
"We did not take this task lightly. We owed a duty to the public," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "To gain a greater understanding, we examined each incident, potential gaps in policy, training, and supervision. Several of those incidents were the subject of previous Professional Standards Unit investigations with discipline having been imposed on many."
Despite the review being complete, Gwinn-Villaroel said she strives for "accountability" and won't hesitate to launch investigations into allegations of behaviors that don't conform with LMPD's policies and constitutional policing
"We acknowledge what happened in the past, [and] we acknowledge there were some deficiencies there," she said. "Those days are over."
The chief did say that two of the officers named in the report are facing discipline, but for misconduct separate from the Justice Department's investigation.
The city telling us each incident was judged based on LMPD's policies at that time, limiting what they can do after the fact.
"In some cases where a couple of the individuals actually resigned prior to a formal investigation even being conducted -- they would have been terminated by me, today," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "So again, it's a learning process. We're looking at it with a clear vision now."
On Thursday, Gwinn-Villaroel said since taking office as interim chief back in January, she's initiated more than 30 investigations related to current policy violations. She's fired seven officers, and four other officer terminations are pending.
The chief added disciplinary action has been taken in 39 other cases, which includes counseling, reprimand and suspension.
"To be clear, egregious policy violations and violations of citizens' rights will not be tolerated," Gwinn-Villaroel said.
In total, LMPD has released 50 hours of bodycam video in relation to the incidents in the DOJ report. The videos, along with relevant documents, are posted on LMPD's website.
In the review of DOJ-referenced incidents, officials noted that some of the officers involved are not working for LMPD anymore. According to a press release, others involved incidents that were given "final disciplinary adjunction" by a previous administration so they couldn't be considered for any additional disciplinary measures.
Both Gwinn-Villaroel and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg talked about their efforts to make proactive change prior to the DOJ report, and the looming consent decree. As of Thursday morning, they say they're still waiting for the DOJ to send them a first draft of the consent decree, so they can begin negotiating the terms of federal oversight.
"The community should know that my administration and LMPD have not waited to begin critical reforms," Greenberg said. "There have been significant improvements to policies such as Use of Force and Body-Worn Camera procedures."
Community members are encouraged to share their experiences with police at community listening sessions hosted by LMPD's Truth and Transformative initiative.
"The community deserves to be heard. They have demanded a change in our culture, and we are responding," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "Policies and training have been modified to reflect best practices in law enforcement."
"We learn and grow from our past errors; we do not ignore them. Now we are concentrating on moving forward with improvements and self-initiated reforms," the police chief continued. "Positive changes are occurring for the benefit of the men and women who honorably serve as LMPD officers, and for the benefit of the community as a whole."
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