LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel has been suspended from her job, pending an investigation into her handling of a sexual harassment report within the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, made the announcement Wednesday in a last-minute, late afternoon news conference at Metro Hall.
Greenberg said he put Gwinn-Villaroel on leave after concerns over how she handled a workplace sexual harassment allegation involving LMPD officers. Greenberg emphasized his decision was based on how Gwinn-Villaroel handled the situation once she learned about the harassment allegations.
“This situation is especially concerning given that just last March, the U.S. Department of Justice raised serious concerns about LMPD’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations,” Greenberg said. “I will not tolerate sexual misconduct in Louisville Metro Government, including LMPD. Rules and policies are in place for a reason and they need to be followed.”
The mayor announced the city hired independent attorney and retired FBI agent David Beyer to lead the investigation. Beyer has handled other independent investigations in the past, including at the Louisville Metro Department Corrections and a sexual harassment investigation at the Transit Authority of River City.
“I take these and any sexual harassment allegations very seriously and I also take the handling of these allegations very seriously. That is why I came to this decision,” Greenberg added.
The mayor named Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey as acting police chief of LMPD. Humphrey has been with LMPD for 18 years. According to Greenberg’s office, he created LMPD’s new accountability and improvement bureau and serves as the lead officer working with the DOJ to bring reform to the police department.
“We will treat this process with the seriousness it deserves and respect the conclusions the independent investigation will find and the decision the mayor makes as a result,” Humphrey said. “We will not let this be a distraction. We will not waiver to battle violent crime in this community.”
Greenberg said Gwinn-Villaroel will be on temporary paid leave of absence while the independent investigation into her actions is ongoing.
A separate, independent investigation into the workplace sexual harassment claim involving LMPD officers is currently underway.
Gwinn-Villaroel was appointed interim chief of police in Jan. 2023, and was named permanent chief on July 20, 2023.