New Bardstown police chief pledges to rebuild embattled department

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Bardstown Police Department's new police chief shattered a glass ceiling Wednesday, and it's only her first day on the job.

Chief Kim Kraeszig, a former Louisville Metro Police Department officer, is the first female chief to lead the embattled police force in a city that dates back to the Revolutionary War.

On Wednesday, she started her tenure with a big smile and a bold vision.

"This is going to be the best police department in the state of Kentucky," Kraeszig said.

Lofty aspirations aside, Kraeszig faces a tough task in taking over the Bardstown Police Department. Donald Chaverlain, a taxpayer and concerned citizen, summarized the department in three words.

"It's a mess," he said.

Kraeszig will have to regain the trust of a public now skeptical of city government in general, which has been battered by the ousting of a mayor and the departure of two police chiefs in one year.

"We are moving forward, and we are going to work with the community, and build those relationships, and foster partnerships, and we're going to make improvements in every aspect," Kraeszig said.

Captain Charles Marksbury, who until now has been serving as the interim chief at the department, says the scandals have depleted the police force -- and Kraeszig must find a way to boost morale.

"My priority is to provide stability," Kraeszig said. "They need a leader that they know is ready to support them."

Nine of the 25 officers on the 2017 calendar are no longer with the Bardstown Police Department, so one of the first things Chief Kraeszig has to do is hire.

"We are going to be doing a lot of recruiting and reaching out to experienced officers who have recently retired, and that are available and looking for employment, and this is going to be the place to come," Kraeszig said.

Kraeszig left LMPD just nine weeks ago, retiring young after working her way up from beat cop, to narcotics detective, to assistant police chief -- and if there's one thing she says she'll commit all 23 years of her law enforcement experience to, it's helping to solve Bardstown's mysteries.

"I know I will be working with Commissioner Rick Sanders," Kraeszig said.

Those mysteries include the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, the suspicious shooting of her father, Tommy Ballard, and the ambush and murder of Bardstown Police Department officer Jason Ellis.

"I can tell you there are people in the community that have information," Kraeszig said. "And it will be our goal to find those people, because we want those cases solved."

Community members and police officers alike say they hope Kraeszig lives up to her word -- and that the city helps her do it.

"The mayor has got to let the chief run the police department," Chaverlain said.

Captain Marksbury says he's feeling good about her selection.

"I think the city made very good hire," he said.

Captain Marksbury says he's agreed to stay on at the Bardstown Police Department through the end of next year. He says he didn't apply for the police chief position, having already retired as police chief in 2011.