LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Paul Humphrey is the sixth Louisville Metro Police Department chief to serve in the role in four years. Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel took over leading the department in Jan. 2023 after Erika Shields resigned. 

Lyndon Pryor is the president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League. Following the suspension of Gwinn-Villaroel he said, “I mean, there has been a lack of trust for, for decades with LMPD.” 

His organization works to help Black and marginalized people have social and economic equality. 
Pryor said the continued turnover in the police department harms trust and speaks to the stability and consistency of the department.

“LMPD has just shown over time that they probably don’t have what they need within the department to be able to make the transformation. That is, require to get that department on track. Honestly, they are going to need an outside hand and outside voices to be able to do that,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Justice is one of those outside voices. In its report, it found LMPD had engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights.

Pryor said including voices from the community and increasing transparency could help improve the department’s operations and the public’s trust toward LMPD.

“One of the things that the city has shown has been a reluctance to include community in governing LMPD and really stepping in and taking, a real strong hand in guiding that department in its transformation,” he said.

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 when he was named acting chief. “We will not let this be a distraction. We will not waiver to battle violent crime in this community.”