City Of Louisville: Mayor Fischer Introduces Inspector General Choice

Press release from the City of Louisville:

October 19, 2021

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Mayor Greg Fischer today introduced Edward W. Harness to the Civilian Review & Accountability Board as his choice to be the city’s first Inspector General.

Since 2015, Harness has served as the Executive Director of the Albuquerque (N.M.) Civilian Police Oversight Agency, which he helped establish to investigate all civilian complaints, and reviews and monitors all internal affairs investigations for the Albuquerque Police Department. He’s an attorney who also served 12 years as a police officer in Milwaukee, where he’d also provided oversight of law enforcement as a volunteer police commissioner.

“Following a thorough nationwide search, I’m happy to present Ed Harness as my appointment to serve as the city’s first Inspector General, subject to Council approval,” said Mayor Fischer. “Ed’s leadership background and his set of unique life experiences will no doubt help us to strengthen the trust between our residents and our police officers, and move us a step further in achieving our goals of racial justice and equity. This is the latest step in our city’s work around public safety reform and there’s much more work to be done, so I welcome Ed’s insight and knowledge about these important issues.”

Louisville’s Inspector General (IG) will lead a new office and have the authority to investigate allegations of certain improper interactions between any members of the LMPD with any member of the public. Duties of the IG’s Office also include examining patterns and practices within LMPD; reviewing policies, procedures and operations; and providing recommendations on improving operations to the Mayor’s Office and Metro Council.

“I’m honored to be selected to fill the position of Inspector General and thank Mayor Fischer and his team for their commitment to leading the nation in police reform. I look forward to working side-by-side with the team in Louisville and playing a pivotal role in helping the city move forward and engage with the ongoing Department of Justice investigation,” said Harness.

The new Civilian Review & Accountability Board will guide the work of the IG, adding a new layer of independent review to LMPD matters. The Board and Office of IG are part of Louisville Metro Government’s efforts to reimagine public safety and build trust between police and the community.

Councilwoman Paula McCraney, co-chair of the Civilian Review Board Work Group, will sponsor the resolution and shepherd it through the Metro Council appointment approval process.  

“Serving on the Inspector General search committee was a great honor and privilege,” said Councilwoman McCraney. “I am proud to join Mayor Fischer in announcing the selection of a person to this position who is highly experienced and committed to full transparency and promptness in releasing accurate, timely, fair, objective, and thorough reports. This Inspector General will perform investigations and other work to make recommendations that identify opportunities to drive efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity throughout Louisville Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department.“

The resolution is expected to first be heard by Metro Council’s Government Oversight and Accountability Committee.

“Mr. Harness has a rare combination of qualifications and skill sets that make him imminently qualified to serve as the inaugural leader of the Louisville Metro Office of Inspector General," said Jennifer Green, Chair, Louisville Metro Civilian Review & Accountability Board. “He has been a practicing attorney, a member of law enforcement, and has led a civilian police oversight agency in another similarly-sized city. This, coupled with his reputation for being a person of great character and integrity, will be invaluable to our community as we move forward. His pending appointment is a reflection of a thorough and thoughtful search process given the significance of the Inspector General role. Kellie Stallard Watson, the Board's representative on the Search Committee, and the Mayor's Office could not have done a better job of engaging with me and the rest of the Board throughout. I look forward to welcoming Mr. Harness to our beloved city and seeing the impact he will have on our community for years to come.” 

“Thank you to the Civilian Review & Accountability Board members for their patience and commitment to this process. Their work led to a group of highly-skilled applicants and we truly appreciate all those who applied to serve,” said the Mayor.

In Dec. 2020, Mayor Fischer signed an ordinance formally establishing the Civilian Review & Accountability Board to add a new layer of independent review to LMPD disciplinary matters. The city then contracted with executive search firm David Gomez Partners, based in Illinois, to conduct the nationwide search for the IG position.

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This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author’s own.