Chief Robert White holds the distinction of being Metro Louisville's first Chief of Police, leading a department of nearly 2000 sworn and civilian person
nel.
His tenure began on January 6, 2003, the same day that Metro Louisville came into existence. He brings a fresh approach to crime prevention, combining community - police partnerships with decentralization. By downsizing specialty units, Chief White was able to put more officers on the streets thereby increasing the department's visibility to the community.
He also established several new units to enhance the public's trust and interaction with the department. The Community Relations Unit provides assorted outreach programs such as the Latino and International Citizen's Police Academies, school resource officers and the 574-LMPD crime tip hotline. He also developed a Public Integrity Unit to investigate all allegations of criminal misconduct by police officers and other public officials.
Under Chief White's guidance, the department has adapted to meet Metro Louisville's ever-changing needs. All division commanders and officers are now equipped with tasers. Standards have been raised for new recruits, requiring them to have either a college or military background. The number of Spanish speaking officers has grown due to the department's Advanced Language Spanish Program.
Chief White began his law enforcement career more than 30 years ago as an officer with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Following several promotions, he rose to his final retirement rank of Inspector/Commander. He then served as the first Director of Public Safety for the District of Columbia Housing Authority. As Director, he developed and implemented a comprehensive safety and security plan for 25,000 residents. He subsequently returned to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department as an Assistant Chief. While in this position, he was asked to help rejuvenate the department. Prior to his appointment as Chief of Police for the Louisville Metro Police Department, Chief White served as Chief of Police for the Greensboro Police Department in North Carolina.
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