LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- "I am excited about the future." That was one of the initial reactions from newly-named LMPD Police Chief Steve Conrad.
Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer announced the choice of Steve Conrad in a news conference Tuesday morning. Conrad is currently Chief of Police in Glendale, Ariz. He is also a former LMPD assistant chief. He has 32 years of experience in law enforcement. He began his career in 1980 with the old Louisville Police Dept. as a patrolman in the Portland, Russell, Shawnee, and California neighborhoods.
Mayor Fischer said any of the five finalists for the chief position would have been good picks, but that Conrad's experience led him to "rise to the top." He said in his position as Glendale's chief, he had gained the respect of organizations ranging from the police union to the NAACP.
"Steve had deep knowledge of Louisville -- its neighborhoods, its people, its history -- but he also has an outsider's perspective, having left his hometown to serve as chief in Glendale," Fischer said. Conrad will earn $165,000, and will take the chief's position on March 19th.
He admitted that he will miss Glendale, but emphasized, "Louisville is home." He said he wants Louisville to be the kind of place where people can go to work and not worry about your home being robbed, and where seniors can feel they are safe.
Conrad thanked his predecessor, Chief Robert White, referring to him as a mentor. Conrad, though, also tried to set himself apart from White: "I have my own style. I have my own approach. But I'm not a caretaker. We are about making things better and we can to do that together."
Raoul Cunningham, president of the local NAACP, says the organization did background checks on all five of the final candidates for police chief. Cunningham says he even talked to the Arizona branch of the NAACP, which had nothing but praise for Steve Conrad.
Cunningham says the NAACP will meet with Steve Conrad Wednesday morning in Mayor Fischer's office.
In his resume, Conrad cited his "leadership, oversight, and strategic direction" of the Glendale department as reasons he should be considered for the LMPD chief's post. He also mentioned creating a Gang-Fugitive Squad, along with other squads dedicated to fraud, downtown safety, robbery, and other community concerns.
In community forums looking at what concerns a new LMPD chief should have, a number of people mentioned making officers more visible in neighborhoods and reviving LMPD street violence and gang units.
Sixteen people applied for the chief position. The five finalists were announced on Feb. 3. Besides Conrad, they included:
Yvette Gentry, LMPD Deputy Chief / Patrol Bureau Commander
Vincent Robison, LMPD Deputy Chief and Chief of Staff
Rick Sanders, Chief of the Jeffersontown Police Department
Glenn Skeens, Chief of Police in Owensboro, Ky.
Conrad said on Tuesday that he had asked Gentry and Robison to remain on his staff in their positions as deputy chiefs. "I have no reason to believe they will do anything less for me," he said. "As a matter of fact, I think the three of us together can form the nucleus for that team, that leadership team."
Mayor Fischer's chief search had four distinct steps. Each of the 26 metro council members met with their constituents, and heard what qualities they wanted to see in a new chief. Every applicant had to submit a detailed application with essays on leadership, crime, and other topics. A four-member assessment team then picked the five finalists, all of whom Fischer interviewed. The city also paid U of L's Southern Police Institute nearly $50,000 to help with the search.
Once Conrad takes over as the permanent chief, Interim Police Chief Ish Burks will become interim Chief Administrative Officer, overseeing the city's public safety effort. He will replace William Summers IV, who is retiring.
Summers has filled top leadership roles in Louisville government for over four decades. Mayor Fischer on Tuesday thanked him for his service.
Currently Summers is Chief Administrative Officer, Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
