Louisville interim police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel will take on the role permanently, making history as the department’s first Black woman police chief.
On Thursday (July 20), Mayor Craig Greenberg named Gwinn-Villaroel as the permanent Louisville Metro Police Department Chief, per the New York Times.
“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 in a statement. “She has extensive experience in law enforcement leadership and a record of reform.”
Gwinn-Villaroel, a 26-year police veteran, started working for the Louisville Metro Police Department in 2021. She was tapped to become interim chief in January following the resignation of Erika Shields.
The new chief will face the fallout of the 2020 Louisville police killing of Breonna Taylor. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice concluded an investigation that determined the department had also routinely violated citizens’ constitutional rights.
“For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city,” the DOJ said.
On Thursday, Gwinn-Villaroel said she’s focused on rebuilding community trust and reducing violent crime.
“We understand that we’ve got to continue to work on those relationships and build upon that community trust that we’re just everyday working on,” Gwinn-Villaroel said in a statement. “We are invested in making sure that we get it right.”
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.