LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After a monthslong, nationwide search, Mayor Craig Greenberg has announced Louisville's full-time police chief, and she's a familiar face.
Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel will officially take over as the permanent head of Louisville Metro Police, dropping the interim tag. Her appointment is historic, becoming the first Black woman to lead LMPD on a full-time basis. Robert White was the first Black chief and Yvette Gentry was the first Black woman to be interim chief.
It's the announcement the city has been waiting for since Greenberg chose to not continue with former Chief Erika Shields, who announced her resignation last November.
Gwinn-Villaroel had served as interim chief since Jan. 2, helping reduce officer vacancies from 290 to 250 in a 6-month span according to Greenberg.
"I have the opportunity to do some great things," she told WHAS11 News on Thursday.
Gwinn-Villaroel was appointed following a nationwide search, which resulted in 20 candidates from across the country, four of them making it to the interview process.
The months-long search didn't conclude without criticism. Community groups expressed frustration over the finalists being kept private by the city.
Greenberg gave some insight into the candidate pool, but didn't reveal where they worked, saying protecting their identities is vital for their future employment opportunities.
"They were in many cases individuals who were seeking to be the chief of a police department. We did have some chiefs of police apply," he said.
Each finalist was interviewed by an advisory committee of elected officials, nonprofit leaders and residents. They offered their input to Greenberg who ultimately made the final decision.
“Over the past six months, Chief Gwinn-Villaroel has shown our city that she has exactly what I’m looking for in a chief and exactly what our community is looking for in a leader,” Greenberg said. “She has extensive experience in law enforcement leadership and a record of reform. She is also a magnificent community leader and pastor who cares about the people she serves. Chief Gwinn-Villaroel has my trust, and I look forward to continuing to serve with her in this new role.”
Greenberg openly gave Gwinn-Villaroel full reign of the force from the moment she was sworn in as interim chief.
"You took a leap of faith to allow me to lead and you saw my leadership abilities, and you said, 'Go forward, Jackie,'" Gwinn-Villaroel said looking at Greenberg while speaking at the news conference in the Mayor's Gallery. "I had full support of the CEO of the city."
In seven months as interim chief, she helped lead the effort to launch the department’s first nonfatal shooting unit, expanded the Crisis Call Diversion Program and opened the new LMPD Officer Wellness Center.
She's helped create the new narcotics tip line and worked with the Office of Inspector General on an agreement to "promote transparency and accountability" in OIG investigations, though the IG has voiced continued frustration with the transparency of exchanging data and body camera footage.
LMPD's chief hinted at more movement coming within the department and promised an enhanced focus on community policing to bridge better relationships between officers and the public.
"We're going to ask and be intentional about what we do on an everyday basis," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "It's our job to be able to bridge those relationships by opening the door. The doors are open."
She was met with a round of applause after Greenberg's announcement, with a group of LMPD officers standing to their feet.
Asst. Chief Steve Healey said he's long felt supported by her, even back to her nearly two-year tenure as deputy chief under Shields.
Healey doubled down on their focus toward community policing.
"We can't police our way out of things. We can't arrest our way out of things. We can't solve a lot of crimes without the community's help, and for the community to call us, they need to trust us," he said.
Greenberg pointed to the day of the Old National Bank shooting on April 10 as being a key moment where he got to see her be vulnerable and show compassion to those who lost loved ones.
Now, Gwinn-Villaroel said she'll bring these same skills to the table as the permanent chief.
According to a Mayor's Office spokesperson, Gwinn-Villaroel will now be making $238,000 annually, equal to what Shields made when she was with LMPD. It's also a raise from Gwinn-Villaroel's interim chief salary, which was $216,453.12 per year.
Gwinn-Villaroel has spent 24 years with the Atlanta Police as a beat officer and served in various other positions such as detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain.
In 2020, she was promoted to commander of the Atlanta Police Department's Training Academy before accepting the LMPD deputy chief position in 2021.
“Louisville has welcomed me with open arms, and I am honored to be the leader of our police department,” Gwinn-Villaroel said. “My team and I are dedicated to building trust between LMPD and the people of this city through community policing, transparency and accountability. And to the LMPD officers who dedicate their lives to public service every day: Thank you for your hard work and sacrifice. I look forward to working with all of you to make LMPD the best police department in America.”
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