Mayor Fischer's office inviting public to give input on top-to-bottom review of LMPD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Mayor Greg Fischer's office is inviting the public to provide input on the top-to-bottom review of the Louisville Metro Police Department.

Chicago-based consulting firm Hillard Heintze is conducting the review, which will focus on training in use of force and bias-free policing, accountability, supervision and community engagement. It will also include a department-wide review of search warrant practices, which are a key part of the March 13 police raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment. The review will also identify any obstacles in implementing changes to improve the areas being reviewed, Fischer said in July.

In a news release Wednesday, the mayor said the invitation for public input is an effort to be more transparent, which he says is "integral to this review process."

"We urge our Louisville communities to get involved, ask questions and feel a part of this process," he said.

Fischer announced the review of the department in June after several days of protests in the city in response to the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville and George Floyd in Minneapolis, as well as the shooting death of Louisville business owner David McAtee at the hands of Kentucky National Guardsmen.

LMPD officers were not wearing body cameras during the McAtee shooting, prompting Fischer to fire former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad about a month before his scheduled retirement. Robert Schroeder replaced Conrad as the department's acting chief. The hunt for a new chief is still underway, Fischer said Wednesday.

When announcing his intentions for the review, Fischer said whoever conducts it must do listening sessions with those who are "most aggrieved by public safety activity" and make recommendations.

Representatives from the Hillard Heintze firm are making in-person visits to the city to conduct interviews, observe training and take part in ride-alongs with officers as part of their "assessment work," according to the mayor's office. The firm will then "develop recommendations to serve as a road map for an LMPD Strategic Plan." According to the news release from Fischer's office, that plan will include:

Establishing a new policing environment where the police department and the community are equal partners in co-producing public safety.
Providing recommendations designed to reduce use of force incidents and complaints.
Increasing transparency and encouraging greater trust and public confidence.
Developing leadership within the police department with a focus on community outreach and community policing efforts.
Identifying innovative and effective recruitment strategies and best practices at the local, regional and national level that will improve LMPD's police officer workforce diversity.

There is no time frame for the completion of the review.

To provide input, just email LMKY@hillardheintze.com. Fischer said the consulting firm's team will respond to concerns, comments and inquiries, and that the email address will stay active until the review is finished.

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