Yvette Gentry to Lead Police Department Involved in Breonna Taylor Shooting

“When you live in Louisville, and you raise your kids here, like I do, and your family’s here, I want that chief to be successful,” said Gentry, a Louisville native.

“So, even though I wasn’t interested in the full-time job, I realized that somebody has to stand in the gap.”

Read also: US Police Hits Recruitment Snag While Young Cops Opt for Humane Policing

Fischer is expected to name a new leader by the end of 2020.

In an interview, Gentry acknowledged that improving community relations, reducing crime and boosting officer morale simultaneously won’t be an easy task, but said she's in as “good a position as anyone could be”.

“Being a Black woman, and a veteran and a former police officer, when you’ve worn all the hats of people who are out here, wanting to be heard, and you’ve worked in a place where you’ve tried to be heard and didn’t necessarily feel like you were, I just feel like I have that type of experience that I can bring in there,” Gentry said.

“People are just so far apart. And maybe, I can be in the middle and I can bridge it." 

(Writer: Associated Press) 

Source: https://apnews.com/a293f14856b4ba7635982086c5db8abc