Erika Shields is an American law enforcement officer. She previously served as the chief of police of the

Louisville Metro Police Department The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Pol ...

from January 2021 to January 2023. She was previously the 24th

chief of police Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the b ...

of the

Atlanta Police Department The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is a law enforcement agency in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, the department was formed with 2 ...

from 2016 to 2020.

Early life and education

Shields is a native of

Morris, New York Morris is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 1,878. The town is named after General Jacob Morris. Town of Morris is located on the western border of the county. The V ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in

international studies International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

from

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...

and a master's degree in criminal justice from

Saint Leo University Saint Leo University is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts university in St. Leo, Florida. It was established in 1889. The university is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine mon ...

Career

Before joining the Atlanta Police Department as a patrol officer in 1995, Chief Shields worked as a stockbroker in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. She was the second woman to lead the

, and the first openly gay person to do so. On December 1, 2016, Atlanta Mayor

Kasim Reed Mohammed Kasim Reed (born June 10, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Represe ...

announced that he had selected Shields to succeed Chief

George N. Turner George N. Turner was the 23rd Chief of Police for the City of Atlanta, Georgia, US. Turner assumed the position as interim chief on January 4, 2010, having been appointed by newly inaugurated Mayor Kasim Reed due to the resignation of Richard P ...

, who was retiring. In May 2020, amid protests in Atlanta in response to the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's ...

, Shields said that the angry reaction was understandable, and that the value of the lives of black people was being diminished by police or other individuals, stating that such events were a "recurring narrative". She added with some suggestions on how police could do better, namely better training and "weeding out bad cops", and praised the use of body-worn cameras. Shields addressed demonstrators stating that she was happy to allow protests so long as they didn't violate laws. She stated her opposition to using force to halt the protests, stating that protestors have a right "to be upset, to be scared, and to want to yell". On June 13, 2020, Shields resigned after a video went viral of an officer fatally shooting a black man, Rayshard Brooks, who resisted arrest. In January 2021, she joined the Louisville Police Department. In June of 2023, she joined Georgia-based provider of training tools for law-enforcement agencies Inverts as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

References

External links

TEDxCentennialParkWomen talk: Leaders Show Up
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Erika Living people Louisville Metro Police Department officers Chiefs of the Atlanta Police Department American lesbians LGBT law enforcement workers LGBT people from Kentucky LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) Year of birth missing (living people) Webster University alumni Saint Leo University alumni