LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The attorney representing a Louisville Metro Police major who told Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel she was sexually harassed by a fellow officer said the chief's response was "deeply concerning."

Attorney Jared Smith told reporters Thursday in downtown Louisville that Gwinn-Villaroel's response to the allegation "paints an unsettling picture of a department lacking strong leadership and failing to prioritize the well-being of its officers."

Gwinn-Villaroel was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday by Mayor Craig Greenberg after he became aware of how she "handled a workplace sexual harassment allegation involving LMPD officers."

"This situation is especially concerning given that, just last month, the United states Department of Justice raised serious concerns about LMPD's handling of sexual misconduct allegations," Greenberg said. "I will not tolerate sexual misconduct in Louisville Metro Government, including in LMPD."

Smith said a May 22 command staff meeting was called to announce a series of promotions within LMPD. Lauder hadn't reported the harassment to Gwinn-Villaroel yet, Smith said, as she was still "exploring ways to report the complaint in a confidential way."

Lauder was sick and joined the meeting virtually, Smith said. According to an audio file of the meeting provided by Smith, Gwinn-Villaroel called on each major in the meeting, asking them if there was anyone else on the staff they couldn't work with. 

Gwinn-Villaroel: "Is there anybody within this command staff you can't work with?"

Lauder: "Ma'am, I cannot work with (Maj. Brian Kuriger). He has sexually harassed me and attacked me, and I cannot work with him."

The room went silent for 21 seconds before Gwinn-Villaroel said "All right" and continued calling on other majors. Shortly thereafter, she confirmed Kuriger's promotion.

Gwinn-Villaroel: "Your next lieutenant colonel will be Brian Kuriger. ... Maj. Lauder, I've heard your concerns and I understand that you cannot, so we have to visit on a status moving forward."

Lauder: "Yes ma'am. I know now's not a good time to bring it up but I didn't want you to say that later that I didn't bring it up. So I'm sorry it had to come out in this way."

Gwinn-Villaroel: "I have heard your concern. Yes ma'm."

Smith said he and Lauder — a 16-year veteran of LMPD who patrols the 1st Division in west Louisville — are "encouraged" by Greenberg's move Wednesday to suspend Gwinn-Villaroel.

"What we hear LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel say in this recording is deeply concerning as her tone toward her command staff is, in my opinion, aggressive and threatening," Smith said Thursday. "The environment does not feel welcoming or safe."

LMPD spokesperson John Bradley said Thursday that "no command staff members of LMPD have been promoted." LMPD confirmed Kuriger remains a major right now.

Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey will lead the department in an "acting chief" role, the sixth person to lead the department — in a permanent or interim basis — since June 2020. Humphrey joined LMPD in 2006 and spent several years as a 1st and 6th division officer in the Newburg and Russell neighborhoods. In 2010, he joined the SWAT team and became the commander of the team in 2017.

In August 2019, Humphrey was promoted to a major and was named director of training and recruitment. In March 2021, he was promoted to assistant chief, also taking over command of LMPD's administrative bureau.

Humphrey said he is "committed to moving the department forward" and said LMPD will cooperate with the investigation.

"LMPD takes allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously," he said. "We will treat this process with the seriousness it deserves and respect the conclusions the independent investigation will find and the decisions the mayor makes as a result. We will not let this be a distraction."

Retired FBI agent David Beyer will lead an independent investigation into the chief's handling of the allegation, Greenberg said. A separate, independent investigation will look into the harassment claim itself. Beyer previously investigated Metro Corrections and sexual harassment allegations at TARC at the request of the Metro Council.

Gwinn-Villaroel was named permanent chief of LMPD last July after spending nearly two years with the department as a deputy chief and interim chief. She was serving as interim chief when an Old National Bank employee opened fire at an office building in downtown Louisville and when the Department of Justice released a scathing report that rebuked LMPD's actions over the last several years. 

Prompted by the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020, the Justice Department's review concluded that it has probable cause to believe that LMPD and Metro Government "engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law" that includes excessive force, searches based on invalid warrants and conducting unlawful traffic and pedestrian stops.

Police took a closer look at 33 cases of possible officer misconduct flagged in the report released in March 2023 that either were not formally investigated or weren't investigated at all. After a formal review of the cases, the chief said "no further formal investigations will occur."

Gwinn-Villaroel and attorneys for the city have repeatedly downplayed the DOJ findings in court during civil lawsuits against LMPD. In sworn testimony, she repeatedly called the DOJ findings "allegations" that had nothing to do with the case at hand, a lawsuit filed by the family of Trevon Mitchell, who was killed when a suspect blew through a stoplight and hit his moped.

In November, Gwinn-Villaroel testified under oath in the trial of Mitchell's death that she wasn't wearing a body camera on the scene of a fatal crash in 2021, only to have the attorney for victims of the crash provide photographic proof she was.

Gwinn-Villaroel was called to the stand in the civil trial involving LMPD Officer Ben Sullivan for a 2021 police chase that ended in a fatal crash at the intersection Broadway and Dr. W. J. Hodge Street. The chief testified that the pursuit, which was against department policy, did not cause the crash that killed Mitchell.

After allegations that the pursuit may have been racially biased, Gwinn-Villaroel testified that there was no body camera footage from her device because she was not wearing a camera when visiting the scene. But attorneys later showed a snapshot of video from the scene revealing that Gwinn-Villaroel was wearing a body camera.

Most recently, LMPD was in the limelight on a national level following the arrest of Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, outside Valhalla Golf Club in east Louisville during PGA Championship week. Three LMPD officers initially failed to turn on their body cameras when Scheffler was arrested May 17 for allegedly refusing to stop while entering Valhalla and dragging an officer — charges that have since been dismissed.

Detectives Bryan Gillis and Kelvin Watkins and Officer Javar Downs were found to have not turned on their body cams, in violation of police policy, according to 63-pages of documents, pictures and an investigative file released Friday. The officers had to fill out "Failure to Activate" forms. Gillis received counseling. 

There is no body-worn camera footage of the incident before Gillis was allegedly assaulted. In addition to being disciplined for failing to turn on his body cam, Gillis was also verbally counseled for reaching into a vehicle while it was running.

"Tactically speaking, he acted poorly by adding layers of risk to what amounted to a misunderstanding over a traffic violation (per KRS an arrestable (sic) B Misdemeanor) and thus little reward," according to the investigation.

Gwinn-Villaroel came to Louisville after serving as "Training Academy Commander" for the Atlanta Police Department, working "tirelessly to incorporate a variety of initiatives advancing police training to meet recommendations in the President's Task Force on Policing in the 21st Century," LMPD said in a news release when she was hired as deputy chief.

Gwinn-Villaroel was described as a devoted wife and mother. She served as senior pastor of Atlanta's Unstoppable Praise Ministry in Atlanta. Prior to that, she led First Gethsemane Baptist Church in Atlanta. According to that church's website, Gwinn-Villaroel's husband, David Villaroel, is also in law enforcement. He is listed as a major with APD and director of communication.

Erika Shields, then the chief of LMPD, worked with Gwinn-Villaroel for more than 20 years at APD.

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