LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --- The Louisville Metro Police Department wants to award a $60,000 no-bid contract for consulting on the city's post-Breonna Taylor police reform efforts to a company founded by a former top official in Mayor Greg Fischer's administration, but some Metro Council members say the arrangement is too cozy.
The police department recently sought council approval for a four-month consulting agreement with BRWS Management/Human Momentum LLC, according to city purchasing records.
The company was founded by Theresa Reno-Weber, who was Louisville Metro's chief of performance improvement under Fischer from 2012-16. Reno-Weber left Fischer's administration to head Metro United Way, a position she held until 2021.
LMPD wants to hire Reno-Weber to help stand up its newly created police accountability and improvement branch, which is meant to improve supervision and develop better policies for crisis management, use of force and training.
The creation of the branch comes as Metro government is expected to sign a "consent decree" with the federal government mandating systemic changes in the police department.
While no one doubts the necessity of the work, some council members question the decision to award a lucrative contract to a consultant with close ties to the Fischer administration.
"The question really was, did we seek to find the best person (for the job)?" Metro Councilmember Keisha Dorsey told WDRB News. "Or, did we pick what was in our circle, what we knew?"
Jeff Cavalcante, a self-proclaimed activist and government watchdog, sounded the alarm about the proposal during a public comment to the council in August. He said it smacks of "cronyism."
"(It's a) red flag because it wasn't bid out to the community," Cavalcante said. "There was no chance for a Black management company or a Latino management company to even have a chance."
Metro Council refused to approve the contract, advising the administration to go back and seek competitive bids.
In a statement, Fischer's office defended the police department's attempt to hire Reno-Weber, saying she is uniquely qualified for the job and the police reform work is on an accelerated timeline.
"We are following established procedures that align with state procurement law, which allow for sole source contracts in certain situations," Fischer spokeswoman Jessica Wethington said. "Because Theresa Reno-Weber is a nationally recognized expert in project management and strategic planning, and with her previous background at Metro, she could hit the ground running on a critical, time-sensitive and short-term project, thus, meeting the required criteria."
Reno-Weber responded with an email saying Fischer's office had sought her expertise for the project.
"I was asked by the Mayor’s office if I could provide my expertise in Strategic Planning, Performance Improvement, Process Design and Metric Development, Data-driven Decision Making, and Communications to help LMPD accelerate the successful implementation of the newly formed Accountability and Improvement Bureau," she said in the email. "I was honored to submit a proposal and can appreciate Metro Council's decision to release an RFP for this work."
Theresa Reno-Weber (WDRB photo).
Non-competitive contracts for professional services and sole sources exceeding $30,000 must be approved by the council.
The council refused to sign off on the deal for Reno-Weber's company, sending the proposal back to its Labor and Economic Development Committee, chaired by Dorsey, for more scrutiny.
LMPD's top brass showed up to defend the deal at a hearing on Aug. 30.
Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said the launch of the accountability improvement bureau is critical to the ongoing U.S. Department of Justice investigation into LMPD and needs to be active before that investigation is complete.
"This project is one of the biggest projects the agency has ever taken part in," Humphrey said. "We need to make sure we have this strategic plan in place. ... We need to move quickly so that when it comes time to negotiate with the Department of Justice ... we are negotiating from a position of advantage."
The DOJ is probing whether LMPD discriminates or regularly violates the Louisville residents' civil rights through use of force, traffic stops, searches and seizures and search warrants, among other police activities.
The fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in her apartment as LMPD served a search warrant in March 2020 lingers over Louisville more than two years later. In August, the DOJ charged four officers in her death. One has pled guilty and is cooperating with authorities.
Former officer Kelly Goodlett admitted in a plea deal that the detectives who drafted the search warrant for Taylor's home knew they were including multiple lies in the document presented to a judge, according to federal court records.
Investigators allegedly worked to falsify the warrant affidavit to make a connection between drug suspect Jamarcus Glover and Taylor's Springfield Drive apartment.
Dorsey is not persuaded that the looming DOJ findings are a good reason to award the consulting contract without seeking bidders.
Jeff Cavalcante was the first to raise a red flag about the no-bid contract (WDRB photo).
"If we've known the DOJ would be here from 13-18 months, we shouldn't be rushed at this point, and rushing shouldn't be an excuse from doing things in a very transparent, equitable manner," Dorsey told WDRB News. "The whole purpose for the DOJ being here is due to inequities. So why would we continue to proliferate that when we're trying to start all over again?"
Council member Brent Ackerson echoed Dorsey's skepticism during the committee meeting, saying the arrangement with Reno-Weber has a "collateral stench" because of her ties with the Fischer administration.
The committee tabled the no-bid contract and advised LMPD to start over with bids, but the police department still has options. Dorsey said nothing would prohibit the department from directly hiring Reno-Weber in a fulltime or part-time position. Fischer's office said the city is examining next steps.
Editing by WDRB's Chris Otts. Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
