Louisville Metro Police Chief Erika Shields to resign as new Mayor Greenberg takes office

Louisville Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg announced Monday that Erika Shields will step down as Louisville Metro Police chief when the new administration takes office at the start of 2023.

Greenberg said that Shields offered to resign over the weekend after meeting with him and that he would accept her resignation, effective Jan. 2. He said he would select an interim chief before he assumes office.

Greenberg, a Democrat who won the Nov. 8 election over Republican candidate Bill Dieruf, made his announcement at a news conference at the Preston Pointe office building on Main Street in downtown Louisville. Shields was not present for the announcement.

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Asked if Shields gave an explanation for her resignation or whether he asked Shields to remain in charge, Greenberg declined to share "all the details of our private conversation."

In an emailed statement shortly after the announcement, Shields, 55, said she looks forward to leading the department through the end of Mayor Greg Fischer's administration.

"I am honored to have led the dedicated and talented officers of the Louisville Metro Police Department during a time of unprecedented change in policing here and across the country," Shields said. "Thank you to Mayor Greg Fischer for his trust in me and my team. I am proud to have served this Department as it worked to implement more than 150 reform efforts, a police salary increase to attract and retain the best and brightest, and, most importantly, a reduction in violent crime."

Shields became chief in January 2021 following Fischer's firing of former Chief Steve Conrad in June 2020 amid racial justice protests after the police killing of Breonna Taylor. In the roughly six months before she came on board, the department was led by two different interim chiefs. She became Louisville's second female and first openly gay police chief, with Fischer praising her at the time of her hire as an "experienced, progressive, reform-minded leader."

Fischer fired Conrad, who had an eight-year tenure as chief, after learning officers did not have their body cameras turned on during the fatal shooting of beloved BBQ chef David McAtee in the West End as the city saw protests over the police killings of Taylor, George Floyd and other Black Americans.

Shields is set to earn over $238,000 in 2022, according to online Louisville Metro salary records. In a statement, Fischer said he was "deeply appreciative" of Shields' service.

"At an incredibly challenging time, she came to Louisville and led an LMPD focused on reform and violent crime reduction, and in just the past year we see the results of that work – homicides down by nearly 14% and shootings are down 30%. Thank you to Chief Shields, her team, and her family – we are better off for their sacrifice and commitment."

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The River City FOP 614, which represents LMPD officers, said in a statement that the resignation "does not come as a complete surprise to our members."

"While not a given, oftentimes when new mayors are elected in larger cities they prefer to appoint their own public safety officials and/or cabinet members," the FOP said. "The last several years have been very trying for our members and for our community. The FOP looks forward to working with the new administration and the new chief to make Louisville a safe city."

Before coming to Louisville, Shields was Atlanta's police chief. She stepped down from that role in June 2020 after an officer fatally shot Rayshard Brooks. LMPD noted on its website during her time in Atlanta, the Georgia city saw "a reduction in violent crime and a marked increase in illegal gun seizures."

In Louisville, Shields has repeatedly stated her commitment to decreasing violent crime, and leaders have said Louisville's renewed emphasis on funding violence prevention programs, implementing the Group Violence Intervention initiative (which both of the mayoral contenders said they support) and utilizing gun-tracing technology from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping limit the bloodshed.

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But still, the city has continued to suffer record levels of homicides and shootings, with 184 criminal homicides in 2021, preceded by 165 in 2020, per LMPD data.

As of early November, the city has seen over 140 homicides and over 370 nonfatal shootings this year. LMPD data shows a drastic decrease in nonfatal shootings as well, down about 33% compared to this time last year.

LMPD also has been struggling a massive officer shortage that has led to gaps in when and how officers have been responding to a number of scenes. For instance, the department's domestic violence unit was cut by nearly seven detectives under Shield's leadership.

The staffing changes were made because "in 2021 the department was facing an unprecedented number of homicides and its staffing was at historical lows," spokeswoman Angela Ingram said. "Difficult personnel decisions had to be made to curb the steady occurrence of gun violence."

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A new chief will take charge at an important time for LMPD, which awaits the Department of Justice's pending pattern-or-practice investigation into the department and Metro Government.

Metro Council President David James, D-6th District, who is also serving on Greenberg's transition team, said Monday he "is thankful Chief Shields came to Louisville when she did."

“She was a breath of fresh air and a very administratively sound police chief,” James told The Courier Journal in a text message. “Most new mayors want to have their own police chief, so this move shouldn’t be shocking to anyone.”

Greenberg said he appreciated Shields' "willingness to remain on board" into February "to help with our transition."

"When new mayors begin their term in Louisville and across the whole country, it is typical, I would say, for new chiefs to come on board," Greenberg said. "So this is an opportunity for our city, for our police, for our city government, for all of us to move in a new direction."

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Greenberg said he expects to work with a search firm on the interim and permanent chief positions, welcoming applicants both locally and nationally to seek the top job at LMPD.

Greenberg said he wants "someone who is respected by our entire community and the LMPD officers."

"Second, the chief needs to be an individual who really values transparency," he said. "Third, someone who is focused on community policing to prevent crime from happening. And fourth, the chief of police should have a strong engagement with folks throughout the entire community that are working to reduce the amount of poverty and crime through many different strategies."

This story has been updated.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com. Reporters Kala Kachmar and Krista Johnson contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Erika Shields resigns as Louisville Metro Police chief