LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11)- A former Louisville Metro Police Officer went on the stand to tell her side of the story.
Jackie Hollingsworth, who was under investigation and accused of taking money, made a final push to get her job back on Monday.
“I got plaques and awards, things that I wasn’t really receiving within the department, I was receiving outside the department,” said Hollingsworth.
She testified Monday before the Merit Board. She told them she wanted to be a police officer to help kids fight drugs, alcohol, and to curb violence.
“One of the reasons I wanted to go into the DARE program, I grew up with a mother that was an alcoholic and as a child pretty much kind of made up my own DARE program with the kids in the community,” said Hollingsworth.
She was fired from LMPD last year for lying about money used for a youth event at Central High School, and for interfering with police officers duties. Investigations have been ongoing for years involving missing money from the Black Police Officer’s Union.
Hollingsworth was the treasurer of that organization and was never criminally charged. She denies any wrongdoing.
“She wants to get her story out. She wants to have the whole story told to this board in hopes that they will see things her way,” said her attorney Thomas Clay.
The merit board will make their decision in the coming months.
