LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville's new inspector general says he isn't happy about the level of cooperation the city's civilian police review board has received from the Louisville Metro Police Department, but he's hopeful that a new mayor and a new administration will change that.
According to Ed Harness' annual report published Wednesday, the Office of Inspector General launched 16 investigations last year and none were completed due to "denied access to LMPD personnel and data."
The civilian review board was created in the wake of the Breonna Taylor shooting. When officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department knocked down Taylor's door and killed her in a raid, it sparked a storm of outrage and placed a spotlight on policing in Louisville.
Citizens like Jeff Cavalcante said the shooting made him become more civic-minded.
"Because of Breonna Taylor, just got involved," he said, adding that, "there's several boards and committees I watch closer and attend their meetings."
Cavalcante says he had high hopes after the civilian review board was created, in essence, to police the police.
Harness was named inspector general and assigned to head up that board. During a September 2022 podcast with Metro Councilwoman Paula McCraney, Harness said the job of his board was "gathering evidence, evaluating it, and making a judgement without bias."
But Harness says it's not working out that way, and he cites a lack of cooperation from LMPD as the primary obstacle.
"We are not getting the information as efficiently and as directly as I believe is warranted under the ordinance," Harness stated on the podcast. "We are supposed to have unrestricted access to people and reports and all that LMPD possesses -- and we are not getting that quite yet."
Harness wrote a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last fall proposing a contract of sorts that outlined a process for interaction between his office and LMPD. But sources say it sat dormant, receiving no response from prior LMPD Chief Erika Shields or the administration of former Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.
Cavalcante calls that "classic stall tactics by LMPD."
Louisville Metro Council was slated to address the problem this week in an ordinance, but it was pulled from the agenda again at the last minute. That's because Harness' memorandum of understanding is being discussed behind closed doors.
"I spoke with the inspector general yesterday," said newly inaugurated Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg on WDRB in the Morning on Friday. "I spoke with the chief of police yesterday about that very issue."
"We hope to have a MOU between them in the very near future," Greenberg added. "They are working collaboratively to make that happen. I think that's important."
One sticking point could be Harness' requirement for police interviews. Harness doesn't just want police records of specific incidents. He's asking for the ability to talk directly to officers who are subjects of civilian review investigations relating to policy violations, as well as instant unrestricted access to their body camera footage without having to request the footage through LMPD.
Those issues also linger over union contract talks scheduled for later this year. The police department's stance has been that it won't turn over records that are part of open criminal investigations.
Nonetheless, LMPD Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel is keenly aware of the department's damaged credibility.Â
"You will see some different forums that I'm creating in order to help build that community trust which is so needed,"Â Gwinn-Villaroel said in a recent interview with WDRB.
Cavalcante says for him, this MOU may be more than an agreement. It's a sign of how Louisville Metro government is doing business with new leaders.
"Actions speak louder than words," Cavalcante said. "I need to see a new direction."
Below is the Office of Louisville Inspector General's 2022 Annual Report:
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
