The deputy police chief in Kentucky’s largest city has been named interim chief of police.
Louisville Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg announced the appointment Friday of Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel.
Gwinn-Villaroel will take over when Chief Erika Shields resigns on Jan. 2.
Greenberg’s office said in a news release that Gwinn-Villaroel was selected after an interview process. She has served as deputy chief since February 2021. Before that she spent 24 years with the police department in Atlanta.
“Jackie has extensive experience in law enforcement leadership and reform,” Greenberg said. “She is a strong, intelligent community leader and pastor. She is trustworthy and transparent, and Louisville is fortunate Jackie has agreed to serve as Interim Chief of Police.”
A national search for a permanent police chief will start after Greenberg’s inauguration on Jan. 2.
Shields’ resignation was announced in late November, less than two years after she took the job amid tensions over the department’s handling of Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting by police.
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Republished with permission from The Associated Press.
