Louisville mayor names 7-person advisory committee to help interview candidates for new police chief

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mayor Craig Greenberg will enlist the help of a few extra people to help in the selection process for next Louisville Metro Police chief.

To help interview candidates for the job, an advisory committee will be made up of community leaders, elected officials, members of law enforcement and criminal justice reform advocates:

J. Michael Brown, Director of Pre-Law at Simmons College of Kentucky, former Secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
State Rep. Keturah Herron, District 42
Rebecca Grignon Reker, Executive Director of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation
Louisville Metro Councilwoman Paula McCraney, District 7, Majority Caucus chair
Rev. Corrie Shull, JCPS Board member, District 6 and Pastor at Burnett Avenue Baptist Church
Ryan Nichols, President of the River City Fraternal Order of Police
Kungu Njuguna, Policy Strategist for the ACLU of Kentucky, Louisville Recovery Community Connection Board member

Greenberg said he hopes the different perspectives and expertise will help him select a chief that will build the most trusted, trained and transparent police department in the nation.

"Choosing our Chief of Police is one of the most important decisions I’ll make as Mayor and I want as much input as I can get in making that choice," he said in a news release Friday. "The different perspectives and expertise that the members of this group bring to the table will help ensure we have a chief who will help us continue to build the most trusted, trained and transparent police department in the nation. I appreciate their willingness to assist and for taking the time to help with this enormously important process."

Since announcing the search for a new chief, Greenberg's administration has received 19 applications for the position. Also, 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.

"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," he said earlier this week

Greenberg said that interim police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel is among the applicants being considered.

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Louisville mayor names 7-person advisory committee to help interview candidates for new police chief