Louisville, Kentucky Gets its First Black Police Chief
How the new police chief has to clean up the mess created by the fired chief.
Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel is the new chief who happens to be Black. Not sure if this was a calculated move or if the need for racial equality is long overdue. She now has the task of leading a much-embattled department full-time that is currently under a federal consent decree after years of scrutiny following the killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020 during a home raid.
After a nationwide search, and the city has gone through several chiefs and interim leaders since the death of Taylor, Gwinn-Villaroel was announced to be the new chief. She was deputy chief of the Atlanta Police Department. She is no rookie, her leadership was displayed during a mass shooting in a downtown bank in April when one of her officers was wounded.
Gwinn-Villaroel has her work cut out for her as there are 250 openings in the police department and recruiting officers will be a challenge. Also, she has to work hard to restore community trust after the U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination, the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct…
