Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel sworn in as Louisville Metro Police chief

On Friday at 6:55 p.m., Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was sworn in on her late father's Bible before family, friends and fellow officers at the Muhammad Ali Center.

She was greeted with a standing ovation and thunderous applause, which mirrored the storm outside, as she finished her oath.

Gwinn-Villaroel was joined by Mayor Craig Greenberg, state Rep. Keturah Herron, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Commonwealth Attorney Gerina Whethers, Metro Council President Markus Winkler, Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey and Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali's wife, among other guests.

The ceremony opened with the presentation of colors, the national anthem, a prayer by the Rev. Eric Johnson and a vocal performance by Deputy Chief of Staff Keisha Dorsey, who sang "Total Praise."

Greenberg complimented Gwinn-Villaroel's "fierce devotion" to her officers, her compassion and her belief in accountability.

Greenberg announced in July that Gwinn-Villaroel would get the permanent role as chief after serving on an interim basis since he took office in January. Gwinn-Villaroel came to LMPD in 2020, following her predecessor, Erika Shields, from the Atlanta Police Department. Several of her former colleagues from Atlanta attended her swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

Gwinn-Villaroel commands an understaffed department that is staring down an almost certain federal consent decree following a Department of Justice investigation that found LMPD routinely practiced unconstitutional policing and violated the rights of Louisville residents, particularly those of Black citizens.

"Any one of these challenges by themselves would represent a significant obstacle for any new leader to overcome," said Winkler. "Our new chief must solve all of these problems simultaneously."

LMPD was also the center of national scrutiny in 2020 following the police killing of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, in her Louisville apartment.

"Having a Black woman take charge of LMPD is a step in the right direction," Herron said. "Because there's power in perception. There is power in having someone who looks like Breonna in making those decisions."

It is also a department Greenberg has said he wants to make the “most trained, trusted and transparent” in the country.

Gwinn-Villaroel is now Louisville's first Black, female police chief – and she was sworn in on the eve of Women's Equality Day, Deputy Mayor Barbara Sexton Smith noted in her speech.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @ellie_mccrary.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel sworn in as permanent Louisville police chief