Swearing-in ceremony for new police chief marks new era for LMPD Share Updated: 1:38 PM EST Jan 19, 2021 WLKY Digital Team Share Updated: 1:38 PM EST Jan 19, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript where I come from When people say good morning, people say good morning back. Good morning, and welcome to today. Swearing in ceremonies for Erica Shields as she becomes the chief of police of the Louisville Metro Police Department. So thank you very much for family and friends and for coming and tuning in through social media today. At this time, I would like for you toe stand, please. For the presentation of colors by the Louisville Metro Police Honor guard, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem being Sunday by Sergeant John Ramsey at the conclusion of the anthem. Please remain standing for implication given by the Reverend Keith Hackett, who is the pastor of Greater Salem Baptist Church in Louisville and is also the assistant director of Metro Public. Worse, a management division. Solid waste. All our Uh huh. Oh, right, you know. All right. Are all right? Oh, are are Okay. It Oh! Oh! I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Oh, say, can you see by the dawn's early lie what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the purple assed fight Who the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare. The bombs were steen in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say, does that star spangled but no yet way Who the land of the free on the home of the brave older are shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father is once again we come on this day at this appointed place at this appointed time, invoking you for your grace, your mercy and your love to carry our city through this time of the pandemic this time of challenges so that in the end will become a better people, a better city to better our country. Father God, we invoke you right now to help us to show one another. Love and gratitude help us to look at each other with dignity and respect. Help us Heavenly father to be a city that will be resilient as a picture of hope. Help us as a city that we will show people what reconciled relationships looked like help us as a city, father God, to be service of you and also to serve one another, or the grace and mercy and patience and long suffering and kindness. We pray right now for our city. We ask you right now, Lord, to redeem our city like never before, reconcile relationships like never before. Strengthen us like never before. Give us a renewed spirit like never before. Revive us, redeem us so that you can get the glory and that our, our country and our city in our state will be unified once again. We also bring before you our new chief. We pray that she leads with dignity and respect and give a wisdom for more high. Thank you, Father God for her. And thank you for our mayor on. We pray for him and his staff again. Father. God, we invoke your presence to make us a better city to make us a strong city and to make us a city of compassion. It's in Jesus name. We pray. Amen. Yeah, Yeah. Other are all right. Are right. Huh? You may be seated. This is a good day and a happy day in the life of the Louisville Metro Police Department is. We sat on voyage with new leadership, leadership at the top. Oftentimes you hear these words often said about leadership in leading from the Front. And that's what we're hoping for today. It's a bright new day in loyal Kentucky. So for all citizens here by, we're now in that position of the ceremony of the swearing in of Erica Shields as the chief of police of the Louisville Metro Police Department. And it gives me great honor and a great privilege to introduce three term mayor of the city of Louisville. The honorable great Fisher. Good morning, everybody. How we feeling here on this day? You're looking good. Well, normally this room would be field filled. Chief Shields with, uh, we're in this unusual time of the pandemic. So we adjust just like you're doing policing every day. So let me start by thanking all the men and women of L, M, P. D. And the families and the loved ones who support them each and every day. This past year has been an incredibly challenging time for our community in our country, and I think it's fair to say, most likely the hardest year in the history of our city in the history of our country. To be a police officer, we faced covert 19 serious economic downturn calls for racial justice that included weeks and weeks and months of demonstrations in our streets in the aftermath of the Briana Taylor tragedy. This was a difficult time for our entire city, including our police officers, with the long hours and stressful moments for the officers and their loved ones as well. So I want to thank the 1000 plus Louisville Metro Police Department officers who have persevered through this past year because they love our city, and they understand that there are challenges to meet and changes to make at L M p. D. Just like there are in public and private institutions all across the city and all across the country. Among the challenges that we're facing right now in our city are tragic and unacceptable increases in gun violence that we saw throughout the past year. We continue to see we also have considerable work to do to strengthen the relationship between our officers and the communities that they are sworn to serve and to protect. This is a national challenge that most every city is going through. But we have to own and overcome our unique challenges here in our city. So we are hard at work on that. We have many reforms in place, including launching an external top to bottom review of LMP D policies, procedures and practices with a report to guide our improvements. Expected to come out later this month. We've implemented in proposed numerous other changes to policies about search warrants, early warning systems, the use of tear gas, body cameras, use of force in the duty to intervene and working with the council. I wanna welcome our council members over here. Thank you for being here. We created a new Independent Civilian Review and Accountability Board in office of Inspector General. We also increased officer pay. We ask a great deal of our officers, and we need to pay them wages that arm or competitive with surrounding jurisdictions. We're also advocating for new laws, policies and state funding to promote officer wellness. In addition, we would like to see a state law making it a crime to attempt to blind an officer with the laser light device, and we're lobbying the Legislature to criminalize the practice of docks, ing officers and other public officials. And at the same time, we have regular meetings with those calling for racial justice, which, I'm thankful to say is the majority of our city, the vast majority toe listen, learn and understand their views on the reforms that we need to make to make us a more racially just city that we all want to be. So we can move from the tragedies of last year to transformation and be a model for the rest of the country. So to address these challenges and lead our police department through this time of transition, I knew that we needed a special kind of leader and experienced, progressive reform minded leader who fiercely believes in the role of polices guardians and who understands that the practice of policing must evolve. Just a czar. Society is evolving, ah, leader who will focus on the steps necessary to restore the confidence of residents, especially those traditionally marginalized someone who sees challenges as exciting opportunity, someone who has proven that she can listen and that she can lead a leader as the community requested, who not only understands but embraces three idea that public safety is something that we all produced in collaboration. Residents and police working together with accountability and transparency, honesty, integrity and compassion. And the leader who loves being a cop, a leader that will get the best out of her troops for the benefit of the community. So I'm proud here in a few minutes to administer the oath of office toe Erica Shields, the new chief of police for Louisville Metro Police Department. Welcome Chief chief Shields earned a reputation as a change agent in the 25 years she spent with the Atlanta Police Department, where she rose from the rank of beat officer to the chief of police. She also understands strategy and tactics in the need to produce results in police work, which she did is chief in Atlanta, including a three year decline in felonies. She was the unanimous recommendation choice of an eight member diverse panel of Louisville IANS who interviewed her, including the president of the Metro Council in the chair and vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, and among the way she impressed of all impressed us all was when she said L M. P. D. Was the Onley chief position in America that she was interested in. That's because she sees an opportunity for L M P D to be the best police department in the country. And we know that she has the skills and the vision and the team here at l m p d to make that happen. So, Chief, on behalf of the people of Louisville, I'm excited to welcome you to our city, call you a Louisville. Ian and I look forward to serving the people of our great city alongside you. Thank you. Okay. I'm gonna give a shout out to this brother over here. He's right on top of it, Uh, keeping us keeping us clean and safe at this time. It gives us great honor to introduced Bishop Mark House, who is the pastor of the Victory City Church of Force Park, Georgia, who's come all the way to Louisville to give some personal remarks about Chief Shields and would ask Bishop House to come forward now. This time, Bishop house. Okay. Okay. Good morning. Tamir Fisher. Council members. Chief Shields in tow. All present. Good morning. It is with great honor that I have come this morning to share personal Reflections and Remarks. A Bart about a remarkable woman I've seen firsthand Chief Shields in many capacities and in many different ways, working alongside the community and the other in hand in hand with the department. There's three things that I want Thio talk about as it pretends to chief Shields. Commitment, compassion and courage. I have seen her commitment to the profession of law enforcement. I've seen her commitment to making sure that it remains a profession. I've seen her commitment to training. I've seen her commitment to the wellness and the well being of the officers. I've seen her commitment to the city that she served. I've seen her courage as it pertained to making tough decisions and doing things that sometimes would rock. The boat would make sure that the ship stage straight. I've seen Chief Shields excuse me with a heart of compassion for not only the officers, not only those who she served, but also those who were in the community that often times it would be chief shields who would show up on different scenes that would require assistance and those of very great importance. I've seen her show up in places like that late at night at the hospital for other departments, for different civilians in the city who were injured or something would have happened. And out of care and compassion. I've seen this woman show up and render aid offer all the assistance that she could. Today. Louisville, I will tell you, you were in good hands. It has been said that the new literacy of the 21st century and not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. And that's the thing that I admire about Chief Shields. If she ever notices that something is not going the way it ought to, she does not mind stepping back, rethinking it. And let's do it over to ensure that we get it right that were right and that we serve right. So today, Chief, I'm honored to be here to witness this historic day and tow watch you again step into this role that I know you were born for. Many people take jobs. Others live out there calling and I'm here today to see you live. You're calling God bless you. And God bless Louisville. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Bishop House to come all the way from Georgia to say that that's a whole lot of committee. So you talked about it and you've lived and demonstrated is when we thank you for that to be in our fair city today. At this time, I would ask Mary Fisher along with Chief Shields to come forward as he administers the oath of office to be the chief of the Jefferson, not Jefferson. Louisville Metro Police promise how old and long I've been around. Yeah. All right, Chief, raise your right hand. I, I, Erica Shield do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of this commonwealth, and the laws and ordinances of the Louisville metro government and be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Metro government so long as I continue as a citizen thereof that I will endeavor to the best of my ability to detect and prosecute all gamblers and others violating the laws against gaming and that I will faithfully execute to the best of my ability. The office of Chief of the Louisville Metro Police Department, according to law. And I do further solemnly swear that since the adoption of the president Constitution. I'm being a citizen of the state, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within the state nor out of it. Nor have I sent or accepted the challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons. Nor have I acted as a second and carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending. Repeat after me. So help me God, your now. Official Chief. Thank you very much. What? Okay. Did you were talking? Ladies and gentlemen, gives me great honor in privilege and an honor to present the newly minute Chief of police of Louisville Metro, Erica Shields cooking. I enjoyed that oath. I had to think whether or not I had dueled, but I haven't. So we're in good hands, But no, it's all seriousness. Thank you for this lovely ceremony. Um, Sergeant Ramsay, you sang Amazingly, it's just I'm in awe of that. And Pastor Hackett, Um, for all y'all. It's just incredible. The words and the kindness here. Um what Bishop? House and council. Thank you for the meeting. Y'all. Um but Bishop house didn't tell you Is he has served for years. He started as a cop and he transferred, he realizes his calling was, um, religion and and spreading the faith and supporting people. And he has served as the department Atlanta police departments chaplain for many years. So he is the go to guy for all of those situations. That air just so heartbreaking that the rest of us have no idea how to handle. And his position more often also toe one of becoming a confidante for many of the officers who are struggling with personal issues. So you have taken on many roles in your lifetime. Um, but the one dearest to me is that of a friend. Thank you. And thank you for being here today. Um, I wish my partner, Amy was here. She's dynamic, She's a rock. And more than anything, she just makes me laugh. And so once we navigate the world of co vid, I know she's looking forward to coming up here and seeing this incredible city. Mayor Fisher, I can't thank you enough for this unbelievable opportunity. As he stated, um, this was the only job that I wanted because I knew that I could make change here in it stopped and step with the department because It is a good department, and I believe in the people here, and I believe in the community. We just have a lot of work to do. And I know you've taken some hits for picking me, and I just want to say Thank you for having the confidence in my ability to get this job done to my fellow officers. I realized that you have had an immensely difficult year and I am here to help you help. You want to enjoy this job again. Feel proud about yourself again. I am here to showcase your talents. I'm here to help you understand. Hey, this is what we need to do collectively to ensure the practices and the strategies of the department, meet the expectations of people, all of Louisville Metro. And once we do that, you will be the flagship agency. And you will do that. You will do that because you care Nothing. Nothing that I have seen or witnessed suggests otherwise. We just we've got to We've just got to get it right, But we will. I stood in your shoes. I know how incredibly difficult the job is. I know the sacrifices you would make the stress that goes into the home life. But what I will tell you is you've already done a huge amount of work under Chief Shoulder Schroeder and Gentry. You've made some quick, quick hits, some reforms and thank you to them for both digging in and really recognizing the urgency of what we needed to accomplish. And we're going to continue to build on this together to my fellow Louisville Ian's, which I've gotta work on saying and yes, I tripped it up. I've been trying all morning. I'm gonna get there. Um, and I know it's been an incredibly painful year for many people. Um, from co vid to Briana Taylor to the high levels of gun violence. Um, it's been a incredibly difficult year for America. What I tell you is, I am here to fight for you. I'm here to listen to you, and I'm here to help us bring forward the transformation that you all want to see within L M. P. D. So that the department is a model that we can all stand proud of. Um, what I will say to you is this with every hardship, with every suffering, you can either retreat, you can either take on the negative. You could just lock it in and deterrent to dedicate yourself to misery. Or you can learn from it and say, How is this an opportunity? How is this an opportunity for me to help us move forward? To help us have growth and to help us have compassion? And for me, that's what this is. This is an opportunity. One at the core of it is just gonna is compassion. It's caring about the people that were tasked to care for. And I am committed for to us getting it correct. Um and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for all the support that so many of you have afforded me. And may God be with you. Okay, Well, we're at the end, but on, I want to say something. Thio. Chief Shields. When I was a kid, I've spent my whole almost nearly 60 years born and raised here in Louisville. And on Saturday nights, my parents made us watch a show. I'm still trying to figure out why, but was called he Hall. And you're saying, Why would a brother be watching he hall? But here's what I want to say about it. At the end of the show, they used to sing this song. We love the time we spend with you to sing a song and a laugh or two but this is the partners for you said, May your pleasures be many and your troubles be few. So as you take this mantle today, let your pleasures be many and your troubles be for you to your command staff. That's here. A simple thank you for coming. And that concludes our program for today. Chief Shields walking to loathe.