U.S. Attorney Appoints Decorated LMPD Officer As District’s New Law Enforcement Coordinator

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States Attorney Russell Coleman announced today the appointment of Sergeant Eric Black (Retired), previously of the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), as the U.S. Attorney’s new Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Western District of Kentucky.

“We back the blue, both because our culture seeks to be humble partners with law enforcement and pursuant to one of the very first executive orders from President Trump,” said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “I could not be more pleased that one of Louisville’s Finest, Sgt. Eric Black, will be an important part of furthering our mission of reducing violent crime in this city and helping federal law enforcement to be relevant in all 53 counties of our district.” 

Prior to his recent retirement from LMPD, Sgt. Black led a multi-agency High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Drug Task Force, which included detectives from LMPD, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kentucky State Police.  To honor his leadership in this role, the four-state Appalachia HIDTA comprised of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia named Sgt. Black its 2018 Task Force Officer of the Year.  Black held previous assignments as the commander of LMPD’s Robbery Unit, Commander of an LMPD Narcotics Street Platoon, and a Detective with an LMPD Major Case Unit. Sgt. Black was initially hired as a Police Officer with the Jefferson County Police Department in 1995.

As Law Enforcement Coordinator and part of the U.S Attorney’s leadership team, Sgt. Black’s duties will involve advising the U.S. Attorney on state and local law enforcement issues throughout the 53 counties comprising the Western District of Kentucky which stretches from suburban Louisville to the river counties west of Paducah. Black will also serve as a liaison and conduit for state and local law enforcement agencies to bring cases for possible federal prosecution, with an emphasis on reduction of violent crime.

Previous Western District of Kentucky Law Enforcement Coordinators have included Jeremy Thompson, now Chief of the Elizabethtown (KY) Police Department, and Brett Hightower, now Warren County (KY) Sheriff.   

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