LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Finding Louisville's next chief of police is top of mind as Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg's inauguration is less than a month away.
After Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) Chief Erika Shields announced her plans to resign at the end of Mayor Greg Fischer's term, Greenberg said he plans to name an interim chief before he's sworn in.
Those in law enforcement who understand how this process works say the search could take a while.
In part, because Greenberg could take three different avenues in the search, according to St. Matthews Police Chief Barry Wilkerson.
Wilkerson speculates Louisville's next chief could be someone already within LMPD, somebody from another police department who once worked at LMPD prior, or someone completely from the outside with no prior connections to Louisville.
"It depends on how many steps they want to put into it," said Wilkerson, who's a former lead detective at LMPD's homicide unit but made it clear he's not seeking out this job. "This could take months."
Wilkerson tells WHAS11 each choice comes with its own benefits and drawbacks.
"You go somebody national, you might get a good candidate, but they don't know the history of the area," he said. "Someone from the inside, obviously they have more information about the department itself, less of a learning curve, but what style or caliber of a person are you getting from that point?"
Regardless, Wilkerson believes the search will be challenging for Mayor-elect Greenberg.
"DOJ looking into the police department itself, you have community distrust, there are a lot of issues there," he said. "If he wants to bring the city together, he's going to have to take information from everybody and make the decision from there. Good thing is the only way is up."
He also says keeping the community updated throughout the selection process, including naming finalists, will be vital.
"It might be in their best interest to do that for the simple fact that we are trying to build community trust back in Louisville. Why would you not let them know who it is and actually maybe include them in some of the interview process to see how some of these new applicants will react with the community?" Wilkerson said.
Following Shields' resignation last week, Greenberg said he'll seek input from his transition team and the entire community to find the best possible fit.
"I am confident we will have a new chief of police who can help lead us through anything that we need to continue to do," he said on Nov. 21, adding that his team will conduct a nationwide search but also consider local candidates.
Despite the clear obstacles, Wilkerson believes there are people out there prepared for the task.
"There are leaders out there who love the challenge, who want to get this done, who want to make it better," he said.
Greenberg says Shields will help in the transition until the end of February 2023.
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