LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says he will interview five Metro Police Chief finalists next week, but will not limit his options to the applicants chosen by a search team.
"I think we have five really good looking candidates," Fischer told WHAS11. "I would expect (to choose one of them), but if that doesn't happen, clearly we want to keep things open until we find the very best person. But I think we've got five good quality folks here and I look forward to interviews this week."
Fischer said he has not reached out to other potential candidates, however.
A panel assembled by the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville narrowed the list from 16 to five:
• Steve Conrad, Chief of Police in Glendale, Arizona and former LMPD assistant chief;
• Yvette Gentry, LMPD Deputy Chief/Patrol Bureau Commander;
• Rick Sanders, Chief of the Jeffersontown Police Department;
• Glenn Skeens, Chief of Police in Owensboro, Ky.;
• Vincent Robison, LMPD Deputy Chief and Chief of Staff
Fischer said he hopes to announce the new chief at the beginning of April.
Yvette Gentry
Within police circles, Gentry has been considered a favorite for the job. A Louisville officer since 1994, Gentry is the only female finalist and only African-American on the list. Gentry is a Metro Police Deputy Chief and Patrol Bureau Commander, where she commands more than 900 officers and staff.
Gentry has been on a fast track within the department. Just six years ago, she was a sergeant.
Vince Robison
As LMPD Chief of Staff, Vincent Robison is the other Deputy Chief. An officer since 1988, Robison is responsible for the Support Bureau - which includes the Major Crimes Division, Special Operations and Narcotics. Robison also oversees LMPD's Administrative Bureau, Special Investigations Division and the Media and Public Relations office.
Steve Conrad
Steve Conrad is a former Assistant Chief of LMPD who left in 2005 to become the police chief in Glendale Arizona - where he leads 600 employees.
In Louisville, Conrad became a city officer in 1980. 23 years later, he was responsible for the day to day administration of LMPD.
Rick Sanders
Five year Jeffersontown Police Chief Richard Sanders is the only finalist with roots in the former Jefferson County Police force.
Sanders was a county officer from 1971 to 1983 when he left to begin a 24 year career with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In Washington D.C., Sanders managed the largest division of the DEA, 1600 workers.
Glenn Skeens
Owensboro, Kentucky Police Chief Glenn Skeens is the only candidate never to have worked in Louisville or Jefferson County. Skeens has risen through the ranks in Owensboro from 1989 until being named chief five years ago.
The Owensboro police force employs 164 people.
In a statement, Skeens said he was "humbled to be considered a finalist."
"While this is an honor, I would like to assure the members of the Owensboro Police Department and this community that my commitment to them remains strong," Skeens said, reserving further comment until the process is complete.
Reaction
Former LMPD Chief of Staff Troy Riggs, who knows the other four candidates, said the search committee had chosen wisely. WHAS11 reached out to Riggs for insight into the selection process.
"Do they have the minimal qualifications and where do you think they're going and have they been successful? And all these individuals have been very successful. The city can't go wrong with any one of them."
Riggs, who left LMPD in 2009 to accept the Chief of Police position in Corpus Christi, Texas, did not apply for the LMPD job. Riggs was recently named an assistant city manager for Corpus Christi.
"There's a lot of individuals that I've had conversations with who really like Col. Gentry," said Christopher 2x, a community activist whose organization Fight Crimes Against Children has been fostered by his role as an ad hoc community liaison with police. "With that said though, she's a realist too. She knows the mayor's final pick will be the final pick."
Fischer expressed no concerns that Gentry is the only woman and the only African American finalist.
"What I want is the best police chief for Louisville regardless of gender, regardless of race," Fischer said.
2x said because the search has been professional and led and consulted by African-Americans, the community should accept a white chief to replace Robert White, the city's first black chief.
"If the process shows there is fairness all along the way, people have to live with the fairness process," 2x said, "We can't predict what the next chief is totally going to be about."
White was the first chief of the merged city and county police force and is seen as a pivotal figure in a tumultuous time for local police. His tenure followed a series of controversies in the police department of the former City of Louisville. Riggs said that while White was a change agent, the city is in a different position, today.
"I think the change part has passed for Louisville Metro," Riggs said. "Now, with the new leadership and with this opportunity, I believe they're going to try to build on this foundation that's already been set and move the department in a good direction."
"The key is a good communicator, right?" Fischer said. "I mean, this is important when you're talking to people in boardrooms and people on the streets. You've got to be able to maneuver in all types of environments."
The selection of a police chief is probably the most critical hiring decision a mayor will make, Riggs said.
"The chief is the most visible department head and has the most authority of any department head and is seen and second guessed, quite frankly, everyday," Riggs said. "It's a difficult job that needs someone with a lot of experience and someone who can work closely and share the mayor's vision."
"Regardless of who that pick is, it is going to be the mayor's choice," echoed 2x, "We're going to have to live with it. And then we try to create a working relationship based on fairness and access."
