Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced on Thursday who will serve on a task force to study the search warrant process. Cameron formed the group to develop best practices for police search warrants in the commonwealth.
Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, a 22-year veteran of law enforcement and former Kentucky State Police trooper, will represent the Kentucky League of Cities. “I am honored to join the attorney general’s task force,” Mayor Gregory responded when he was first appointed to the task force in January. “I look forward to having an engaging and productive discussion. It is important that we do what we can to make our communities safer while also protecting the need for our police officers to investigate and respond to crime.”
In a news release, General Cameron announced the other members of the task force. They include city leaders and public safety officials.
“I appreciate the men and women who have agreed to join the task force and give their time and knowledge in service to the commonwealth,” said Attorney General Cameron. “My hope is that the group’s review of our search warrant process will improve public safety by ensuring that Kentucky utilizes best practices when securing and executing search warrants.”
Others on the task force include:
- Denise Bentley, former Democratic Louisville Metro councilwoman, legislative assistant to Metro Council District 5, representing citizens at-large
- Lieutenant Bryan Bogard, Covington Police Department, representing the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police
- Colonel Phillip Burnett, Jr., commissioner, Kentucky State Police
- Judge Foster Cotthoff, 3rd Judicial District, Christian County, representing the Kentucky Court of Justice
- Judge Charles Cunningham, 30th Judicial Circuit, Jefferson County, representing the Kentucky Court of Justice
- Nicolai Jilek, commissioner, Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training
- Representative Ed Massey, chair, House Judiciary Committee
- Ramon McGee, attorney, The Law Office of Ramon McGee, representing the Kentucky Conference of the NAACP
- Chief Joe Monroe, University of Kentucky Police Department, representing the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police
- David L. Nicholson, circuit court clerk, Jefferson County, representing the Kentucky Association of Counties
- Damon Preston, public advocate
- Joseph Ross, county attorney, Logan County, representing the Kentucky County Attorneys Association
- Rob Sanders, commonwealth’s attorney, 16th Judicial Circuit, representing the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Association
- Sheriff Walt Sholar, Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office, representing the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association
- Detective Elizabeth Thomas, Lexington Police Department, representing the Kentucky Narcotics Officers Association
- Senator Whitney Westerfield, chair, Senate Judiciary Committee
- George Wright, professor, senior adviser to the president and vice president for institutional diversity, University of Kentucky, representing citizens at-large
General Cameron formed the group in January following the death of Breonna Taylor and calls for police agencies to study their procedures. The news release stated that the task force would begin meeting in the coming days but did not set a date for its first meeting. In January, the AG’s office insisted that the task force finish its work by December 31, 2021.