LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two women have come forward with sexual harassment claims against male colleagues within Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) in the span of two weeks.
Mayor Craig Greenberg placed LMPD Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel on paid administrative leave on June 12 pending an investigation into how she handled a sexual harassment allegation between officers. Mayor Greenberg said the investigation should take about a month.
And on Tuesday, another officer sued the department, alleging she was sexually harassed by two men within LMPD.
So what is the policy for making the claims?
According to LMPD's Standard Operating Procedures, sexual harassment is considered unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or creating a sexually hostile or offensive working environment.
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Any complaints against other members involving misconduct should be sent through the chain of command to the division commander, who will alert either the Special Investigations Division (SID) commander, the HR compliance manager or the chief of police.
If any complaint involves sexual harassment or abuse, the commander in charge is supposed to verify the accused is moved so there is no contact with the complainant, according to the Standard Operating Procedures. The commander will then conduct a preliminary investigation, and depending on the information gathered, the police chief could start an investigation by the SID.
Per the Standard Operating Procedures, investigations involving complaints against other officers should be completed within 180 days, unless an extension is granted. Complainants are allowed to get status updates if they request it; regardless, they will get an update if an investigation hits the 45-day mark.
Any retaliation towards the complainant and anyone cooperating with the investigation is strictly prohibited.
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