LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Standing in front of a crowd of dozens of people — some skeptical or even mistrustful of the police — Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields' real talk won head nods and even a standing ovation.
Wednesday, the League of Women Voters of Louisville invited Shields to a forum about police reforms.
"I'm not going to defend corruption," Shields said, as she promised a better, more accountable and more diverse LMPD. "I'm not going to defend racism. I'm not going to defend bad policing."
Particularly, Shields promised reforms will be included in a new union contract for many LMPD officers.
Mayor Greg Fischer made the same promise Friday, when he announced his office had reached a tentative contract agreement with the leadership of LMPD's union, River City FOP Lodge 614, that will provide pay increases and guaranteed raises to LMPD officers in addition to reforms designed to ensure more accountability.
"We want this to be a quality department, which is why there's going to be a number of reforms built into the contract that the police can't just do business as usual," Shields said Wednesday.
Last year, the current police union contract sparked protest, as some argued it did not include enough reform measures to ensure more police accountability.
"Full accountability is not just missing from this contract, the document expressly exempts the police from personal responsibility in at least a half dozen different, dangerous ways," said now-former Councilman Brandon Coan, D-8, during an October 2020 meeting.
The contract passed in a contentious November 2020 vote, even though some council members like Bill Hollander, D-9, voted against it.
"There are provisions in the contract that just inhibit accountability and inhibit transparency," Hollander said.
Others vowed they would vote against future contracts unless they included more reforms.
Now, according to the mayor's office, the deal for a new contract includes various reform measure.
The contract itself is not yet public, but the mayor says it will include enhancements to police discipline, mandatory drug & alcohol testing after "critical incidents," better record-keeping of officer disciplinary documents and recognition of the city's new Civilian Review and Accountability Board.
In the Wednesday meeting, while she said she has not yet been provided a copy of the contract, Shields gave her stamp of approval to the idea of change, more accountability and more transparency.
"I'm a firm believer that if we're doing stuff the right way, great," she said. "And if we're not, we own it."
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