LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg provided an update on the search for a new police chief, as well as the city's priorities after his $1.1 billion budget was approved earlier this week.Â
"I'm so thrilled that working in a bipartisan way with our colleagues on Metro Council, it (the budget) passed unanimously," Greenberg said, adding that, "our priorities started with public safety, ensuring that we're doing everything possible to reduce the amount of gun violence."
Greenberg said the city continues to work to increase the number of officers on the street who engage in community policing. The goal is to work with neighborhood leaders to prevent crimes before they happen.Â
Another focus: reducing the city's unhoused population. "We're very focused on addressing our homeless crisis, building more affordable housing, economic development and creating new paying career-path jobs and throughout the city."Â
Greenberg said a substantial sum of money has been allocated for the city's park system. "We invested a historic amount of money into parks across the city, knowing that that is so important for everyone's health, everyone's well-being."Â
The search for a new police chief continues, but Greenberg said "we are fortunately getting toward the end of that. We engaged a national search firm to help us with the process so we could get great applicants from around the country who were interested."
In addition, Greenberg said hundreds of people provided input on questionnaires and several town halls and focus groups, and the interview process is set to begin soon.Â
"Starting in the next week or so, we're going to be doing interviews, and I hope to have named a permanent police chief by the end of July."
Greenberg said that interim police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel is among the applicants being considered.Â
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