LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, announced Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel as the next chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department. Gwinn-Villaroel has been interim chief since Jan. when she filled the role left vacant by the departure of Erika Shields.

In announcing Gwinn-Villaroel's permanent role, Greenberg said, “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. 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.”

Gwinn-Villaroel said she is prepared to take on the position permanently. “Thank you for allowing me to be able to stand before you today and be able to accept the position as the permanent chief. I want to say, as I arrived here in 2021, as I said before, that I was embraced by open arms. I was embraced as the deputy chief wanting and desiring for change to take place within the department. As the permanent chief, I would like to say that that welcoming spirit has just continued to be overwhelming and I appreciate every individual in this great city for allowing Jacqi to be able to lead in the capacity that I serve today.”

Before coming to Louisville in 2021 to serve as deputy chief, she served for 24 years with the Atlanta Police Department, starting in 1997. She served in many roles, including rank of major, detective and training academy director. Shields, who also worked with the Atlanta Police Department before joining Louisville’s force, Shields hired Gwinn-Villaroel.

Weeks after accepting the interim role, Gwinn-Villaroel said her top priority was to cut down crime. 

“Everybody within this city has a right, I mean a true right, to go to church, school to the grocery store to the gas station to come outdoors and just sit on the front porch in peace,” she said in a one-on-one interview with Spectrum News 1 in January.

In March, after the release of the U.S. Department of Justice released its report about LMPD, which found a history of discrimination and excessive force within the department, Gwinn-Villaroel said the findings”erode the profession." 

She said in an interview in March, “We’re doing so much good work in trying to be a better department, to provide those services and be very responsive and the lack thereof as the DOJ has notated is troubling. But again, we are doing proper training and we do, I’m happy to say, we even have a diversity equity inclusion manager that we hired on to actually help build and forge these better relationships.”

Gwinn-Villaroel expressed an interest in becoming the city’s permanent chief saying if she’s the best fit, she would welcome the job. 

Since becoming interim chief, Gwinn-Villaroel started LMPD’s first nonfatal shooting unit, expanded the Crisis Call Diversion Program and opened a new LMPD Officer Wellness Center. She also helped create a new narcotics tip line and has worked to promote department transparency and accountability with the Office of Inspector General.

In June, Greenberg assembled an advisory committee to help interview chief candidates. The committee members were community leaders, elected officials, members of law enforcement and criminal justice reform advocates.

“The different perspectives and expertise that the members of this group bring to the table will help ensure we have a chief who will help us continue to build the most trusted, trained and transparent police department in the nation. I appreciate their willingness to assist and for taking the time to help with this enormously important process,” said Greenberg last month.

There were 19 applications submitted for the position. The city conducted focus groups and solicited surveys from the community about the qualities they wanted to see in the city’s next chief. Greenberg said last month he hoped to have the position filled by the end of July.

Gwinn-Villaroel is married and has a teenage son. She is also an ordained pastor and founding member of Unstoppable Praise Ministries.