City Of Louisville: Mayor Announces New Public Services Assistant Chiefs To Focus On Corrections, And Outside Consultant To Review Recen ...

Press release from the City of Louisville:

February 14, 2022

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Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today announced steps to bring in additional assistance and independent review at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC), including the hiring of two new Public Services Assistant Chiefs, and the hiring of Gary Raney, a national expert in jail deaths.

Performance improvement efforts

Two new Assistant Chiefs – Amy Hess and Ron Heady – will serve under Public Services Chief Matt Golden. Hess, who previously served as the Chief of Public Safety for Metro Government, is a former Special Agent and Senior Executive for the Federal Bureau of Investigation; she led teams in the FBI’s Inspection Division, Afghanistan, and multiple field offices, and was the highest-ranking woman in the agency when she retired in 2019.

Heady, a 23-year veteran of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) who retired in 2020, will focus on accountability and disciplinary concerns at LMDC. At LMPD, he served as a patrol and Hostage Negotiation Team Commander, investigator in Professional Standards, trainer and SWAT Team Sergeant.

“Jails across the nation face difficult obstacles, including staffing shortages and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mayor Fischer said. “Adding these two seasoned public servants back to our team will provide further support and knowledge base to our Corrections team.”

They will focus on:

Inmate medical care;

Working with partners to reduce the number of inmates being held;

Recruitment and staffing;

Policy, training and curriculum development;

Leadership development and succession planning;

Accountability and discipline.

“I have had the good fortune to work with both these individuals before – they have the tenacity, integrity and character to help with performance improvement,” said Chief Golden. “I am proud that they have agreed to serve as my Assistant Chiefs, and I look forward to driving improvement with them.”

Independent review of recent suicides

Metro also has retained an independent expert in jail deaths to conduct an in-depth review of three recent suicides at LMDC, as well as Corrections’ policies, procedures, practices, training, and equipment.

Gary Raney is a retired Sheriff of Boise, ID, and has served as Vice Chair of the Board of the National Institute of Corrections and a U.S. Department of Justice consultant to criminal justice organizations around the country.

“While suicides in jails are sadly common, every death is a tragedy, and we must work to ensure we are taking all appropriate measures to combat them,” said the Mayor. “I look forward to the independent review and recommendations of Sheriff Raney on this critical issue.”

LMDC is also working with its medical contractor, Wellpath, to ensure it is reviewing its suicide risk assessment tools and practices, conducting one-on-one reviews with inmates housed in single cells and increasing contact with individuals that have been in custody for less than 10 days. 

“It is critical that we devote these resources and personnel to making significant changes and improving the care inmates receive,” Chief Golden said. “In recent months, we have enhanced recruitment incentives for new hires, improved wages for sworn Corrections Officers and worked with our justice partners to reduce the inmate population. We simply cannot lose this momentum as we drive improvements on multiple fronts.” 

Metro Council was notified of these plans in recent letters from LMDC Director Dwayne Clark over the past month. 

“I look forward to working with this team going forward,” said Clark. “Since Day One, Chief Golden and I have been working together to make the lives of staff and the inmates better. These experts can fast-track the important changes we have been working on these past few months and guide us moving forward. It is a team effort.”

Director Clark’s most recent bi-weekly communication to Metro Council is attached to this press release.

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