Former Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields Takes Charge of Louisville Police Department

Former Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields will head the Louisville Metro Police Department, which was placed in national spotlight last year following the death of Breonna Taylor.

“I am honored to have been selected for this important position at this important time,” Shields said in a statement Wednesday.

“I recognize that there is a lot of healing that needs to happen in policing in general, and that LMPD is at a crossroads. But I think there is also an opportunity to be successful here in Louisville, and to create a model for other cities to follow. “

The announcement came on the same day that news broke that Dets. Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove were fired by the LMPD for participating in the raid that resulted in Taylor’s death. Jaynes was not at Taylor’s apartment the night of the raid but had obtained the search warrant. Cosgrove fired the shot that killed the old EMT.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer praised Shields as a “change agent throughout his distinguished long career” and a “much respected visionary”.

“When she came before us as a candidate to become our chef, saying that this was the only chef position she was interested in, and that she was full of passion and with the skills and experience necessary to achieve the improvements and reforms that we need, it was unanimous. choice, ”he said at a press conference.

Shields said in June she was resigning from the Atlanta Police Department, where she worked for more than two decades.

The announcement came hours after Constable Garrett Rolfe shot dead Rayshard Brooks, a black man, in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant. Rolfe was fired after the shooting.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement at the time that Shields wanted to step down “so the city can move forward urgently in rebuilding the trust our communities desperately need.”

Shields reiterated those sentiments at Wednesday’s press conference.

“The murder of Rayshard Brooks was a tragedy. It was horrible. And what I recognized was that there were several issues involved, even before that, but it resulted in the murder of Rayshard. And what I realized was that the longer I stayed, I was going to be a distraction and the city has to move on, ”she said.

Shields will begin his new role with LMPD on January 19. Former LMPD Deputy Chief Yvette Gentry will continue to serve as interim Chief.

Gentry was charged amid a nationwide uproar over the death of Taylor, a black woman who died in a March raid on her Louisville home.

Fischer said the city had worked with the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit police research organization, to help find a new leader. Shields spoke briefly to critics of the decision, saying she hoped people would take a look at her career.

“I would ask people to look at my work and see who I have been, what I have accomplished, what I require of a department,” she said.