Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg announced LMPD veteran Paul Humphrey will stay on to lead the department through the sweeping changes that are expected in the wake of years of problems.
At a press conference Monday, Greenberg called Humphrey a “proven leader.” He noted Humphrey has been with the department for 18 years and said he understands the accountability and transparency being demanded of LMPD.
Humphrey took over the top leadership role on an interim basis in June, after Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel was forced to resign amid a sexual harassment scandal among officers. Prior to that, Humphrey was part of the city’s negotiating team that’s working with the U.S. Department of Justice on a mandated reform plan, known as a consent decree.
Greenberg said, over the past three months, Humphrey has earned his respect, as well as that of rank-and-file officers and residents.
“Paul shares my belief that to keep our people safe, we must embrace a comprehensive and detailed strategy,” Greenberg said. “One that addresses the root causes of crime, one that prevents crimes before they happen, that we apprehend and convict those who commit crimes and enhance the chance for those that have served their time to reenter society in a productive, peaceful way.”
In picking Humphrey, the Greenberg administration has decided to forgo a national search for a new police chief. The two previous police chiefs, Erika Shields and Gwinn-Villaroel, both came to Louisville from the Atlanta Police Department.
Asked to explain his decision, Greenberg said the city and LMPD were facing too many challenges in June, when Gwinn-Villaroel left.
“There’s far too much going on throughout the community every day to take our eye off the ball, so we needed them to focus on the ongoing work,” he said.
In addition to significant increases in shooting and homicides in recent years, LMPD has struggled with a crisis in leadership. Humphrey will be the department’s sixth chief in just four years.
LMPD has also faced a series of scandals and setbacks since 2020, including the police killing of Breonna Taylor. Her death fueled nationwide protests over racial justice and police accountability.
LMPD’s “self-inflicted wounds,” as Humphrey has called them, have been a hit to officer morale and made improving recruitment and retention difficult. The department continues to struggle with understaffing.
During the press conference, Humphrey reiterated his plan to bring a positive vision and mindset back to LMPD.
“We’ve been in a position for years where improvement has been attempted through chastisement,” he said. “You can call me names all day long, you can tell me how horrible I am all day long, but that’s never caused me to improve … LMPD and this city needs people to have faith in them.”
Humphrey said his first act as chief will be to reshuffle many of the leadership positions within the department. Sixteen of LMPD’s 24 command staff positions will have new faces.
“That’s a huge amount of movement, which means that’s a huge opportunity for growth and improvement,” Humphrey said.
Among the officers being promoted are Emily McKinley and Ryan Bates, who will serve as Humphrey’s two deputy chiefs, and Donnie Burbrink, who will be assistant chief of patrol.
Maj. Brian Kuriger is also being promoted to oversee LMPD’s Accountability and Improvement Bureau, an agency Humphrey helped stand up. The bureau was created in 2022 to overhaul training academy curriculum and conduct regular audits of incident reports and body camera footage.
Kuriger was at the center of the recent sexual harassment scandal that preceded Gwinn-Villaroel’s ouster. Maj. Shannon Lauder accused Kuriger of acting inappropriately during his investigation of sexual harassment claims against Lauder and her husband. An independent investigation cleared Kuriger of any wrongdoing.
'Our last hope for change'
News of Humphrey’s promotion to permanent chief drew bipartisan support Monday.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican, released a statement saying it “has the potential to be the most impactful public safety decision” of Greenberg’s first term as mayor.
This is Greenberg’s second time appointing a police chief. He promoted Gwinn-Villaroel, then deputy chief, to the top role after he took office.
“We look forward to zealous collaboration with Chief Humphrey and the essential agency he now leads to reduce violent crime, effectively implement Group Violence Intervention (GVI) and keep Louisville families safe,” Coleman said.
Louisville Metro Council Member Tammy Hawkins, a District 1 Democrat, said she thinks Humphrey will “do awesome in the position,” but warned that “more is going to be expected of him” because he’s not new to LMPD and its challenges.
Hawkins, who chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee, said she sees Humphrey as “our last hope for change” in Louisville.
“I’m a firm believer that the city is in trouble,” Hawkins said, pointing to Louisville's high levels of homicides and gun violence. “The changes are needed.”
Rev. Charles Elliott Jr., pastor of King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church, likewise expressed optimism about Greenberg’s pick for police chief. Elliot said the violence among young people, particularly in west Louisville, is the most important issue facing Louisville and LMPD.
“When we all work together — the community, ministers and Metro Council — all of us work together and be concerned about the condition that we are in, that makes it really easy to address it,” Elliot said. “I thank God for the mayor seeing fit to get a man like [Humphrey] to be in this community.”
Reform on the horizon
As permanent chief, Humphrey will be expected to implement dozens of reforms and other changes to policing in Louisville.
Metro officials and the Department of Justice are nearing the end of negotiations over a consent decree, which will lay out a roadmap for reform. Once an agreement is signed, it will be overseen by a federal judge and an independent monitor.
Greenberg said Monday that the city and DOJ are in “intensive discussions,” meeting two days last week and another three days this week. The goal, he said, is to have a final agreement sometime in the fall.
