LOUISVILLE, KY. (AP) — Louisville’s police chief has been placed on leave for handling a sexual harassment allegation involving his officers, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Wednesday.
In a surprise move, Greenberg announced the suspension of leader Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel less than a year after she became the first black woman to head the department in a full-time position.
Greenberg said the chief was not directly involved in the harassment incident.
“This is about how she handled the allegation once it was brought to her attention,” Greenberg said at a news conference Wednesday evening. Greenberg did not elaborate on the nature of the allegation.
The Louisville Police Department has had a revolving door at the top of its leadership Since Breonna Taylor was shot by police In a botched raid in 2020. Gwinn-Villaroel is the third full-time chief since Taylor’s death, and the department has also had three acting chiefs, including a stint from Gwinn-Villaroel.
She came to Louisville from the Atlanta Police Department in 2021 alongside former Chief Erika Shields, who hired her as Deputy Chief. Gwinn-Villaroel has been named full-time chief in July 2023.
When she was acting chief, Greenberg praised Gwinn-Villaroel for management by the ministry a mass shooting It killed five people at a downtown bank in 2023. Louisville police responded quickly and fatally shot the shooter in the building’s lobby minutes after a 911 call.
But on Wednesday, Greenberg said he had serious concerns about his handling of the sexual harassment allegation, especially given the U.S. Justice Department’s previous criticism of it.
The Justice Department conducted an extensive investigation of the police department after Taylor’s death, concluding that Louisville police engaged in a pattern of discrimination and violation of constitutional rights. The DOJ said it “identified deficiencies” in the Louisville department’s response to allegations of sexual misconduct or domestic violence among officers.
Louisville police also recently attracted unwanted attention after being arrested and jailed. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s best professional golfer, who was trying to enter a Louisville golf course hosting the PGA Championship. Images of Scheffler in handcuffs and his mugshot were flashed on television screens for days. The charges against Scheffler were ultimately dropped after a prosecutor determined it was a misunderstanding.
Gwinn-Villaroel will be placed on temporary paid leave, Greenberg said. He named Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey as interim chief during the investigation.