Former Louisville police officer quits Jewish Community of Louisville job after backlash

Former Louisville Metro Police Lt. Josh Judah resigned Wednesday from his position at the Jewish Community of Louisville after facing fierce opposition from members of the city's Jewish and Black communities, based on his leadership during the racial justice protests of 2020.

Judah, who served with LMPD for 21 years before retiring, was announced as the Jewish Community of Louisville's regional security adviser in July, tasked with improving security measures for the city's Jewish community. In the announcement, the nonprofit touted Judah's lengthy law enforcement background but did not mention the two active lawsuits he is named in, nor that his reputation among the city's Black community was featured in a story by VICE.

Members of the Jewish community had expressed surprise over his hiring in a July 24 email to the nonprofit's president, Sara Wagner, that was obtained by The Courier Journal. In the email, signed by 16 people, the members said there was little to no discussion before the announcement was made July 11. Moreso, Judah's hiring could "be perceived as disregarding the value of Black lives in Louisville and the pain endured at the hands of unjust, inequitable, and life-threatening overpolicing by LMPD," the email stated.

That perception is exactly how many people in both communities have viewed the hiring, Louisville Urban League President Sadiqa Reynolds said.

"This officer is a symbol of the pain the Black community has suffered through since 2020," she said. "It is appalling that any organization claiming to be allied with the Black community and our struggle for justice, would even consider hiring him.

"We are not positioned to speak to his guilt or innocence but many of us believe that if Breonna Taylor and David McAtee were anything other than Black, Mr. Judah could not have had a successful candidacy for employment."

Minute by minute:What happened the night David McAtee was shot dead by National Guard

In an email to The Courier Journal about his hiring Aug. 11, Wagner wrote, "Mr. Judah was hired after an in-depth process, based on his expertise, his understanding of the threats and needs of our Jewish community, and his relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies."

Unsuccessful attempts to contact Judah were made by The Courier Journal through his attorney and Wagner.

On Wednesday, Wagner announced that Judah resigned.

"We had hoped to continue to engage in constructive dialogue about the new role Josh began in support of safety and security for the Jewish community and beyond," Wagner wrote in an email. "Unfortunately, current circumstances make it impossible for Josh to meet this goal. Recognizing this, Josh has tendered his resignation as Regional Security Advisor for SAFE Louisville."

Why is Josh Judah being sued?

Judah was on scene in the aftermath of Taylor's killing in March 2020, though he was not involved in the actual raid. Issues also were raised after McAtee was shot to death by a National Guard member in the early morning hours of June 1, 2020. The guardsman was at the scene of McAtee's business and home on 26th and Broadway because of orders given by Judah. The shooting came after days of protests over Taylor's killing, and a citywide curfew had been issued.

"It is a big deal that the National Guard ended up at 26th and Broadway," Reynolds said. "There were no protests beyond Eighth Street in Louisville. So why in the world was the National Guard sent to 26th and Broadway?"

A lawsuit against Judah, two other LMPD officers and the guardsman who shot McAtee that night was filed on behalf of his mother and niece, which describes the scene of the business that summer as a safe haven in the West End, away from downtown protests and unrest.

"There were no known protestors at the location, and no law enforcement intelligence suggested that violent protestors were meeting up in the area," the lawsuit, filed in September 2020, states.

Yet, just over two minutes after police and soldiers arrived, "the police blocked the intersection and yelled at a crowd at a food mart to leave, pursued and fired upon those leaving, shot into the door of the restaurant kitchen striking Mr. McAtee's niece, Machelle, and shot and killed David McAtee inside the kitchen of his business and home," the lawsuit states.

While Judah did not deliver the fatal shot to McAtee, the suit alleges his actions that night were in violation of department policy and ultimately led to McAtee's death and to his niece's injuries.

Prior to arriving, Judah allegedly called the city's command center and told officials, "'Check out what we're about to do,'" the suit states. "Everyone then turned to the surveillance screens, and watched as law enforcement arrived at 26th and Broadway. One officer in the command room stated, 'I put up my feet and got out the popcorn' because 'that's how the message (from Judah) was delivered.'"

Claims in a lawsuit represent one side of an argument.

How exactly the night unfolded is unclear given all officers at the scene failed to turn on their body cameras, despite being the department's standard operating procedure.

One former officer, Katie Crews, has been federally indicted in the incident and she was fired by the department for her actions that night and for a social media post she made earlier that day.

Crews was caught on video from a nearby business standing at close range on the property line firing pepper balls into McAtee's kitchen, hitting his niece several times. McAtee pulled his niece inside and fired twice above his shoulder with a handgun.

Crews' social media post was of a Courier Journal photo showing a protester handing a flower to Crews, with a caption that said: "I hope the pepper balls that she got lit up with a little later on hurt … Come back and get some more ole girl, I'll be on the line again tonight."

A second lawsuit, filed in July 2021, alleges Judah ordered the arrests of two protesters who were attempting to enter a church prior to the city's curfew in September 2020, but were blocked by barricades from doing so. The suit alleges the arrests were unlawful and the protesters' rights were violated due to LMPD negligence. All charges filed against the protesters that night have been dropped.

While Judah has been named in the two suits, he has not been criminally charged nor was he officially reprimanded by LMPD for any of his actions during the summer of 2020. Despite this, the allegations made against him should carry weight with the Jewish Community of Louisville, Reynolds and others said.

"We believe that whether the allegations are true or false, the community would not have hired him with these allegations circulating, with an active lawsuit, if they valued our (Black) experiences and our lives," she said.

Additionally, she said, a lack of charges does not mean a person is innocent.

"Do you know how many things happen in the Black community every day and nobody in any position is ever reprimanded?" she asked. Referring to recent indictments and one conviction related to Breonna Taylor's killing, Reynolds said, "The fact that we see any prosecution is an anomaly. So, don't tell me that the fact they weren't prosecuted means they are absolved of any guilt. All the time, our rights are violated."

More: What to know about 7 Louisville Metro Police cases the FBI is investigating for misconduct

Wagner declined to directly answer whether the nonprofit's leadership was aware of the allegations against Judah prior to his hiring. But in an Aug. 18 email obtained by The Courier Journal, Wagner wrote, "Josh has been very proactive and candid about his involvement in facilitating peaceful protests and to try to avert any instances of violence."

"We certainly expressed our concern and discussed the issue at great length with Josh.At the conclusion of the hiring and vetting process, we were confident that Josh was – and still is – the right person for the job."

For Honi Goldman, a local activist and member of the Jewish community, the hiring and continued employment of Judah, despite mounting outrage, represented an unprecedented divide between Louisville's Jews and the nonprofit.

"My family has been an integral part of Louisville’s Jewish Community for over a 100 years," Goldman wrote in a statement to The Courier Journal. "I cannot recall another schism of this magnitude that has pitted Jews in this city against the Jewish Community of Louisville. This blatant insensitivity of hiring a man who was so involved in one, if not the, most horrible racial crimes in our lifetime, will have repercussions on this entire city for years, if not decades."

In her announcement of his resignation, Wagner wrote, "We appreciate that he has put the best interests of the community first in choosing to step aside, and we wish him the best in his next opportunity to serve."

Moving forward Wagner indicated a shift in how the next security adviser will be hired.

"We are committed to incorporating feedback that represents the diversity of the Jewish community and our partners and neighbors across Louisville, with a primary focus on the safety, security, and resiliency of the Jewish community – and with a hope that our efforts can benefit other communities with comparable and shared issues relative to hate crimes and targeted violence," Wagner wrote. "We look forward to engaging with the Jewish community and beyond as we work toward the common goals of safety and security for everyone in Louisville."

Contact reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Ex-LMPD officer Josh Judah resigns from Jewish Community of Louisville