'Opportunity to do something special': Why one officer made the decision to return to LMPD

Kenneth Christian recalls striking up a conversation with a Louisville mayoral candidate two years ago when his past as an officer at Louisville Metro Police came up.

Christian was with the Middletown Police Department then, but his tenure at LMPD had stretched nearly two decades before he left.

That candidate, Craig Greenberg, began making a case for his return.

"He said, 'Maybe we can get you to come back,'" Christian remembered. "I said, 'No, I'm not coming back. I'm happy where I'm at.'"

Fast forwarding to this year, Greenberg recalls thanking a police officer for his service on his way out of an event when that officer pulled him aside.

"Do you remember me?" Christian asked the now mayor. "Well, I'm coming back."

According to Christian, his decision to return to LMPD was based on a myriad of factors, but he credits some big changes — from increased officer salaries to the department's structural improvements — for solidifying his homecoming.

Greenberg and LMPD leaders hope Christian won't be alone in being persuaded to return as the department seeks to fill 250 open officer positions — closing a shortage that's continued to plague the city in recent years.

"The best days of LMPD and our city are ahead of us," Greenberg said.

Salary bump, restructuring catch former LMPD officer's attention

Christian originally joined the Louisville police department in the 1990s, a few years before the city-county merger.

Through his time there, he remembers experiencing several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as being part of the security detail during then-President Barack Obama's visit to Louisville.

Christian retired in 2016 to better care for a family member. But after briefly working in Indiana, he found his way back to LMPD in 2018. He stayed for two years, then left again for Middletown's then-newly formed police department.

He thought he would stay there for the rest of his career. But recent changes in LMPD piqued his interest — especially an increase in pay.

This year, Louisville Metro Council passed a new contract that bumps starting salaries for new officers to $60,552, beginning July 1, and gradually increases every officer's wages each year. Over the contracts' four years, officers stand to receive an approximate 22% total increase.

Greenberg, who worked with LMPD's union representatives on the proposal, has said the boost in pay was in part designed to increase officer recruitment.

"Pay certainly helps," Greenberg told The Courier Journal, later adding, "but I think it's more than that. I think people want to be a part of a police department that is policing in new ways, that is focused on preventing crime from happening in the first place, that is focused on community policing, that can engage with people who live in neighborhoods — small business owners, members of the clergy and others — (and) get to know the neighborhoods that they're serving and want to be part of a team that really is in it for the right reasons."

Greenberg to critics: 'Be part of the solution'

Christian has just now rejoined LMPD as an officer after finishing academy training. It's been a bit of a learning curve with the new technology at his disposal, but he said he has enjoyed his fresh start back.

Greenberg hopes Christian's hiring will not be an outlier case but the start of a wave of people expressing interest in LMPD.

Applications to work for the department fell slightly between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, from 1,543 applications to 1,328.

Meanwhile, LMPD's police academy has seen a noticeable dip in graduates, with 28 people graduating or expected to graduate this year, along with 15 recruits scheduled to graduate in early 2025.

By comparison, LMPD had 61 new recruits graduate last year and 75 graduate in 2022.

But with the new police contract, many in Louisville Metro are hoping that number will tick back up.

Greenberg stressed applicants do not necessarily have to have prior experience in law enforcement to go through the academy.

"We need to continue to recruit a diverse group of individuals, who are diverse in background and race and gender but also diverse in experiences," he said. "Yes, we need to recruit people who have previous experience in law enforcement. But it'd be great if we can recruit some social workers, some teachers and people who have been in the business world that would add to the strength of our LMPD.”

In recent months, LMPD has again been the center of public controversy after former Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel resigned less than two weeks after she was placed on administrative leave for her handling of internal sexual harassment allegations.

The suspension coincided with the public release of a recording that seemingly documented her promoting Maj. Brian Kuriger to a senior leadership role less than a minute after fellow major Shannon Lauder said he had "sexually harassed and attacked" her.

Two additional LMPD officers, Sgt. Lauren Carby and Officer Christine Silk, have since filed lawsuits against LMPD, alleging sexual harassment within the department.

Many officers named in the allegations have since been placed on administrative leave pending active investigations.

Former Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey has since been promoted to interim chief, with Greenberg saying the city is not searching for a permanent replacement at this time. Greenberg added LMPD's priorities should be more centered around improvement of its anti-sexual harassment policies, its fight against violent crime and its consent decree negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice.

“As the DOJ said in their findings report, the vast majority of our officers are good people, who are part of the LMPD team for the right reason, that are committed to keeping our city safe (and) that are committed to public service," Greenberg said. "... Unfortunately, there's a small number of folks that are making it harder for everyone else at LMPD, everyone else in the city government, to do our job and to achieve our goals."

Greenberg said the department's recent shake-up in leadership and pending investigations should not dissuade people from joining LMPD. Instead, people should be encouraged by recent and ongoing reforms made to improve officers' training and personal wellness.

While many continue to have concerns about LMPD, Greenberg said: "Consider joining the LMPD. Be a part of the solution.”

"We are working on continuous improvement at LMPD, just as we are with all of Metro Government," he said. "I know we need to do more in many areas. And you will see a lot of change (and) a lot of improvement with focus and speed in the coming weeks and months ahead. That will continue, and I think that is attracting folks to come back, to be a part of that. We have the opportunity to do something special here."

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville recruits officers to fill ongoing shortage at LMPD