LMPD chief, Mayor Greenberg discuss consent decree and department reforms (2025)

MADISON ELLIOTT WLKY NEWS. STANDING TO MY LEFT ARE TWO MEN WHO ARE NOT JUST HOPEFUL THIS WILL WORK. THEY’RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE IT WORK. I’M JOINED TONIGHT BY LOUISVILLE MAYOR CRAIG GREENBERG AND LMPD CHIEF PAUL HUMPHREY. THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING ME THIS EVENING. THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT. WHAT DOES THE CONSENT DECREE MEAN FOR THE CITY AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MOVING FORWARD? WELL, VICKY, THANKS FOR HAVING US. THIS CONSENT DECREE REALLY BUILDS UPON ALL OF THE IMPROVEMENTS AND REFORMS THAT WE’VE MADE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS SINCE I BECAME MAYOR AND UNDER CHIEF HUMPHREY’S LEADERSHIP, THOSE REFORMS CONTINUE EVERY DAY. THIS JUST SPELLS IT OUT TO EVERYONE NOW KNOWS SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE PLAN IS, HOW THIS IMPROVEMENT WILL BE MEASURED, AND HOW WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO POLICE TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE IN OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. SO TWO YEARS SINCE THE DEPARTMENT RELEASED THEIR FINDINGS, THE DOJ RELEASED THEIR FINDINGS. WHAT WERE THE MAIN CONCERNS GOING INTO THESE NEGOTIATIONS? WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SEE IN THIS DECREE? WELL, LARGELY WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR HOMICIDE RATE AND HOW IT’S GONE UP SINCE 2020, IT’S ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A DOCUMENT THAT ALLOWS US TO POLICE PROACTIVELY AND EFFECTIVELY. WE NEED OFFICERS OUT THERE THAT ARE GOING TO BE WILLING TO DO THIS JOB, DO THIS DIFFICULT, DANGEROUS JOB, LOCK PEOPLE UP AND DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WAS JUST A GUIDELINE, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT MORE EFFECTIVELY. SO YOU DO HAVE GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW. CITIES LIKE CHICAGO AND BALTIMORE HAVE BEEN UNDER DECREES SIMILAR TO THIS, AND THEY’RE STILL ONGOING. HOW DO YOU DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN THIS WILL END, WHEN YOU HAVE TO REACH THOSE GOALS? WE DO. WE’VE LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCES THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE HAD. AND THAT’S WHY ONE OF THE THINGS WE REALLY FOCUSED ON WAS PROVIDING CLARITY ON HOW WE GET OUT OF THE AGREEMENT. AND WHEN WE’RE CONFIDENT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THE IMPROVEMENTS AND BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT THE DOJ AND THE CHIEF AND I EXPECT AT SOME POINT IT’S TIME TO GET OUT, CONTINUE MAKING IMPROVEMENTS WELL BEYOND THE CONSENT DECREE. AND SO WE’VE LEARNED FROM THAT. WE’VE CAPPED THE COSTS THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY TO AN OUT-OF-STATE MONITOR TO OVERSEE ALL OF THE PERFORMANCE REVIEWS THAT THE DATA COLLECTION FOR LMPD AND THE TIME PERIOD AS WELL. NO CITY IN AMERICA HAS EVER HAD A TIME PERIOD LIKE THIS. WE’RE CONFIDENT WE CAN BE A NEW MODEL FOR REFORM AND IMPROVEMENT, FOR COMMUNITY POLICING IN AMERICA. TELL US ABOUT THIS INDEPENDENT MONITOR. YOU WON’T JUST BE POLICING YOURSELF. THERE IS SOMEBODY ELSE THAT WILL BE OVERSEEING THIS. YES. AND SO THE INDEPENDENT MONITOR WILL TAKE THE DATA AND THE INFORMATION THAT WE COLLECT, AND THEY WILL BE THE ONE WHO PRESENTS THAT TO THE JUDGE. AND THE JUDGE ULTIMATELY MAKES THE DECISION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE’RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONSENT DECREE. WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT THAT IN A VERY REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, OUR POLICY, OUR TRAINING, OUR SUPERVISION WILL ALL BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THIS CONSENT DECREE. THE MEN AND WOMEN OF LMPD ARE WORKING THEIR -- OFF EVERY DAY, AND WE EXPECT THAT THE MONITOR WILL WILL BE A GOOD VOICE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT TO EVERYONE. THAT MONITOR WILL HELP REINFORCE JUST ANOTHER VALIDATE WHAT LMPD IS DOING WITH THEIR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS. BUT IN TERMS OF DAY TO DAY, THE CHIEF IS STILL RUNNING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. I AM STILL MAYOR OF THE CITY AND NO ONE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS TELLING US WHAT TO DO ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. AND ISN’T THERE GOING TO BE A PROCESS SET UP WHERE THE COMMUNITY CAN ALSO MONITOR YOUR SUCCESS? YES. SO WE’LL MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR ALL OF THE DATA AND INFORMATION THAT’S PRODUCED OUT OF THIS IS ON A PUBLIC FACING DASHBOARD. I THINK IT’S WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. TRANSPARENCY IS ABOUT PRODUCING INFORMATION IN CONTEXT IN A WAY THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON CAN UNDERSTAND. AND SO REGARDLESS OF CONSENT DECREE OR NOT, WE THINK THAT’S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE STORY OF WHAT OFFICERS ARE DOING. WE’VE HEARD FROM BREONNA TAYLOR’S MOTHER AND OTHERS WHO ARE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL ABOUT THIS, IF THIS WILL WORK. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. ARE YOU ALREADY SEEING THAT YOU ARE BUILDING TRUST IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THE THINGS THAT YOU’VE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED? WE BELIEVE SO. WE BELIEVE THAT FOCUSING ON PROACTIVE COMMUNITY POLICING, GETTING INVOLVED IN NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS, GETTING TO KNOW FAITH LEADERS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, RESIDENTS THAT IS WHAT LMPD IS DOING EVERY DAY TO CONTINUE TO BUILD TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT’S OUR GOAL. THAT’S THE PLAN. THAT’S THE GOAL. WE’RE CONTINUING ALSO TO RECRUIT NEW OFFICERS. WE NEED OVER 200 NEW OFFICERS AT LMPD, AND WE’RE CONFIDENT WITH THIS. WE’LL BE ABLE TO HELP CONTINUE TO RECRUIT OFFICERS WHO WANT TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION. NOW IS THE TIME FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER. WE HAVE LEARNED FROM OUR HISTORY. WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHER CITIES. WE HAVE A PLAN. WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY, ON PROTECTING PEOPLE’S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, TREATING EVERYONE FAIRLY. WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND JOIN LMPD. ALL RIGHT. THANK Y