LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Police Department said it could cost up to $40 million over four years to reform the department.
The proposal and cost was presented Monday afternoon at a special Metro Council meeting.
This comes as the Department of Justice is investigating if there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing within LMPD and metro government.
A group of public safety officials presented the plan, with LMPD Assistant Chief Lt. Col. Paul Humphrey speaking on behalf of LMPD.
"We want to get out ahead of this to make sure that we're doing things the right way," Humphrey said.
He said the department needs a new reform oversight entity, calling the group of civilians and officers the Improvement and Accountability Bureau.
"No one wants to be under investigation by DOJ, they're obviously here for a reason," Humphrey said.
The proposed plan includes updates to the following various topics:
- Revising overall management structures to improve supervision
- Policy development, including crisis management and use of force
- Staffing, recruitment and promotions
- Training
- Data collection analysis and auditing
Humphrey said he believes this will change the culture of LMPD and will build a strong infrastructure at the department.
"It's not simply about the law, it's not simply about the contract. What it's about is it's about leadership, people and making sure that we're always on track with doing the right things," he said.
Part of the presentation incorporated research on the cost for other cities with these types of reform. Based on the previous costs, the estimated costs per year for Louisville is expected between $8 million to $10 million annually.
Matt Golden with the mayor's office says the overall project is expected to take four years and likely could get to $35 million.
Metro Council members were quick to ask, who pays for it?
"That's a simple question, the tax payer pays for it," Councilman Anthony Piagentini, R-19, said. "We could talk about sales tax, property tax, game tax, whatever the hell tax, at the end of the day the people that elected us are about to take it in the wallet."
Meanwhile, Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9, said if that's the price, the bill has to be paid.
"Some of these investments are not going to go away because they're improvements to our police department," Hollander said. "We need to face the fact we may be paying more for these kind of investments for a long time."
Humphrey said he stands by the price tag.
"I'm very confident the spending that we're requesting is not frivolous spending," he said.
The DOJ's investigation is expected to conclude next year.
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