LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields is looking forward to experiencing her second Kentucky Derby as she continues her second year at the helm of LMPD. 

Shields said the planning for Derby 149 will start not long after Derby 148 "because what you're doing is you're having to coordinate with so many of your state and federal partners, and then of course Churchill is responsible for the inside of the track. And we do a lot of planning with them as well."

She said it's a "heavy lift," but the fact that it's an annual event makes it easier to plan for.

"Usually, if a city gets a big event, it's a one-off," she said. "So there's actually a cadence here for preparations."

For her second Kentucky Derby, Shields said she plans to bring an extra pair of shoes "because I'm gonna step in some horse dung."

Although she enjoyed last year's Derby, which was scaled back because of COVID-19, "this is the first year that I'll be seeing it fully operational."

As for her accomplishments as chief, Shields said she takes pride in the fact that despite extremely low morale when she took the job, officers are now engaging with the public. 

"I'm very proud of the engagement by the men and women of the police department," she said. "I don't say that lightly. I came in at a time I would say that the city and the department was at an all-time low. And I have watched the officers consistently go out and tackle violent crime successfully."

While Shields admits the number of murders in Louisville is higher than ever, she said "actually, violent crime is down 14%. And crime in the city is down 8%. What we're struggling with is domestic homicide cases. And those are very to get in front of."

Shields said a re-branding is needed to attract more officers to the department, which needs several hundred to get back to pre-pandemic staffing levels. 

"Obviously, the profession took a hit over the last few years, most of it self-inflicted," Shields said. "So we really have to re-brand. But also, it's getting the public to understand you can't consistently bash the people doing this work and think they're going to want to do this work.

"On recruitment, I've been very fortunate. The city council, the administration passed some significant pay raises, which is essential. But right now, it's just grinding through it, recruiting and selling the product that is Louisville to the applicant."

Noting that "Louisville has a huge amount to offer," Shields said they are holding out for quality officers because "the bigger struggle is just getting people that you want to (be) police, anywhere in the country."

Shields called on the community for support "to come forward and say hey, we want you, police. We want to support you. We want it done a certain way but it can't be an either/or. Because we need the police to go out there. "

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