LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Louisville Interim Police Chief Paul Humphrey, who has been with the department for 20 years, was named full-time chief on Monday.
Humphrey took over as interim chief in June when former Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was suspended for her handling of a sexual harassment complaint within the department.
Before his permanent appointment this week, Humphrey was the city’s fourth interim chief since Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by Louisville officers in 2020.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said Monday that the Louisville Police Department “needs stability in its leadership.”
“Chief Humphrey is thoughtful, fair and determined,” Greenberg said in a press release Monday. “He has earned my respect, and he has earned the respect and trust of this community, including the hardworking men and women of the Louisville Metro Police Department.”
Humphrey joined the department in 2006 as a patrol officer, was a former SWAT team commander, head of the training division, and became deputy chief for accountability in 2022 as the department faced a federal investigation after the shooting of Taylor.
“The sworn and professional staff of LMPD works tirelessly every day to make Louisville a safer city,” Humphrey said in the release. “It is a tremendous honor to serve our residents, business community and visitors.”
Greenberg announced Chief Gwinn-Villaroel’s suspension in June, less than a year after she first black woman to lead the department in a full-time capacity. The chief was not directly involved in the harassment incident, in which a female police major publicly accused a male colleague of sexual harassment during a command staff meeting.