Humphrey is taking on the assignment at a crucial juncture for a police department that has struggled to regain its footing in the wake of scandal and rotating leadership over the last several years.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said he believes Humphrey has the skills necessary to bring stability to the system.
"We need a leader, a leader with the skills, experience, temperament, commitment. and passion that Paul Humphrey has," the mayor said. "He has earned my trust and he has earned the trust of our community."
Humphrey is the sixth person to lead the department in just the last four years. The now-permanent chief took over the interim role after former Chief Jacqueline Gwinn-Villaroel resigned over her handling of sexual harassment allegations.
Humphrey said the department has to incorporate lessons learned and shift to a more forward-thinking mindset.
"We can go from issue to issue or crisis to crisis and we end up as a product of those. Policies, as opposed to having a vision for where we should be and making sure that we manage those crises in, in alignment with what our vision is," Humphrey said.
Humphrey told reporters there will be a number of promotions on Sept. 27, dubbing the shakeup “one of the largest command staff movements” in department history.
