Ethermac|Louisville appoints Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel as first Black woman to lead its police department

Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel has been officially selected as the Louisville Metro Police Department's new chief,Ethermac marking the first time a Black woman has served permanently in the role.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Gwinn-Villaroel — who had been serving as the department's interim chief since January — was named the permanent chief following an extensive nationwide search. 

The mayor said Gwinn-Villaroel was one of 20 candidates from across the U.S. who were interviewed by an advisory committee made up of elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and affected residents. 

"Over the past six months, Chief Gwinn-Villaroel has shown our city that she has exactly what I'm looking for in a chief and exactly what our community is looking for in a leader," Greenberg said in a statement.

Before joining Louisville police, Gwinn-Villaroel spent 24 years with the Atlanta Police Department. During her time as the interim chief, she launched a nonfatal shooting unit and expanded a "Crisis Call Diversion Program."

"Louisville has welcomed me with open arms, and I am honored to be the leader of our police department," Gwinn-Villaroel said in a statement. "My team and I are dedicated to building trust between LMPD and the people of this city through community policing, transparency and accountability."

The selection comes after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced in March that the Justice Department found there was "reasonable cause to believe" Louisville police and the city's government had engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated citizens' constitutional and civil rights, following an investigation prompted by the 2020 shooting death of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor. 

— Kathryn Watson contributed to this report. 

In:
• Breonna Taylor
• Louisville
• Louisville Metro Police Department

Tre'Vaughn Howard

Tre'Vaughn Howard is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

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