Notifying Mayor Greg Fischer of the news, Louisville Chief Steve Conrad has revealed that he is retiring with his last day scheduled for June 30.
“In his decades as a public servant, Chief Conrad has shown a deep commitment to justice, innovation and fairness,” Fisher said in a press release. “As our Police Chief for the past eight years, he has worked tirelessly on improving transparency and community policing. Most importantly, he has been a kind, decent, fierce advocate and protector of the city he loves, and a respected colleague. I appreciate that he is staying through the end of our fiscal year to help us ensure a smooth transition, as we continue to grapple with budget challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Handling the fatal March shooting of Breonna Taylor, a black EMT and emergency room tech, who was fatally shot in her home near during a botched narcotics raid, Conrad had been facing a lot of criticism on how his department handled the situation. Nothing was found in her apartment, and she and her boyfriend had nothing illegal associated with them.
Conrad sent a statement to his staff followimg the announcement,
“There have been a lot of ups and downs in this job – there always are in police work. But nothing was harder for us than the loss of three of our sworn officers with LMPD – Peter Grignon, Nick Rodman, and Deirdre Mengedoht. Those are the hardest moments for a chief and we weathered them together as a family. Those three officers were the best of us and we should all approach this job every day to make them proud.”
“You all are weathering a lot right now and I know how challenging this is. Approach this as we approach all our struggles – as a team. Look out for each other. Show compassion to the other community, even when it might not be shown to you. And remember what a privilege this job is.”
The FBI has also opened an investigation into Taylor’s death.
