Louisville mayor announces new interim police chief, first woman to lead department
The new interim chief for the Louisville Metro Police Department was announced Monday, marking the first time a Black woman will lead the department.
Yvette Gentry, a former LMPD deputy chief, will step into the role of interim police chief until a new permanent police chief is selected, according to the office of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. She will start on Sept. 14 and work with current interim Chief Rob Schroeder until his retirement on Oct. 1.
Gentry worked with the LMPD for 20 years before retiring in 2014, according to Fischer’s office. In her time with the department she worked in investigations, strategic planning, budget and patrol.
Gentry was named deputy chief in 2011 until she was appointed Louisville’s “Chief of Community Building” by Fischer, a role that she held until 2017. She is taking leave from her current positions at the Rajon Rondo Foundation and Metro United Way while she works as the interim chief.
Gentry has no intention to apply for the permanent chief position, according to Fischer’s office.
“I am taking a pause from positions that have provided me time to heal and enjoy my family,” Gentry said in Monday’s news release. “I am returning to the high-stress law-enforcement field in large part to help lead a call to action for those willing to do the work it takes to heal our city – and provide truth so we can have reconciliation, and create a system of justice rooted in equity.”
In the announcement Monday, Fischer said Gentry will bring her experience and community relationships to her role as interim chief.
“She is passionate about working to help her city address systemic racism and reimagine public safety,” Fischer said. “She has never been shy about offering her advice, and I look forward to having her on the team as we move forward in selecting a permanent chief.”
Schroeder had initially agreed to hold the interim chief role for four months and is now leaving “to prioritize his family and his health, and complete his doctorate,” according to Fischer’s office.
More than 20 people have applied for the permanent chief position, and Fischer’s office said the new chief is expected to be named by the end of 2020.
Former LMPD Chief Steve Conrad was fired in early June after it was found that officers did not activate body cameras at the time of the fatal shooting of David McAtee.
Protests calling for justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police, have been underway in Louisville for more than 100 days, including protests during the running of the Kentucky Derby.
The protests have been tough on both police officers and protesters, Gentry said in a media briefing Monday.
“That is just a glimpse of how people have been feeling for a long time and we can’t go back,” Gentry said. “I think our city is at a point of reckoning that only truth can bring us out of.”
