Kenny Kavanaugh announced Thursday he is no longer leading the Jeffersonville Police Department, after more than 10 years in the role.
The longtime chief told reporters at a news conference the change comes amid struggles with police contract negotiations, and as the city prepares for the impacts of Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 1.
That’s a piece of major tax overhaul legislation passed this year that will change what municipalities and other taxing units can collect in tax revenue.
Kavanaugh said he met with Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore Thursday afternoon. Not long after, he announced his departure as chief, and said he plans to stay on as captain.
When asked by reporters if the mayor asked or told him to step down, he said the meeting included discussion on the challenges of the legislation, and referenced the ongoing employment contract negotiations.
“I'm pretty clear and intentional, deliberate,” Kavanaugh said. “So however we come to that point in that discussion, I'm standing before you today to tell you that I am not any longer going to be the chief of police to the Jeffersonville Police Department.”
Kavanaugh said he feels good about the transition.
“I definitely feel this is a great opportunity for me to step back into department permanent rank and allow others to be able to meet those challenges,” he said.
Moore issued a statement on the change Thursday afternoon.
“I’ve concluded that we need a change in leadership in the department in light of the on-going financial pressures facing the city,” Moore said in the news release. “Some very difficult decisions will need to be made to ensure that our city remains fiscally sound while continuing to provide a top-notch police department.”
He appointed Scott McVoy, who served as assistant chief to Kavanaugh, as interim chief of the department. Moore said he will immediately begin the search for a permanent chief.
“I want to thank Kenny for his valuable service during his over 10 years as chief,” Moore said. “I think highly of Kenny and the Kavanaugh family. His dedication to the community and the department are unwavering.”
LPM News asked the mayor if he could elaborate on what led to the change in leadership. He declined to speak beyond his comments in the release.
The News and Tribune reported that the Jeffersonville City Council approved an additional appropriation of $400,000 earlier this month to cover overtime pay for the department. It also turned over contract negotiations to the city administration.
The council had been working on negotiations since last year, during which time Senate Enrolled Act 1 was passed.
At the news conference, Kavanaugh shared with reporters a letter he sent to Moore dated Aug. 11. That addressed a new police work schedule the local Fraternal Order of Police and city council collective bargaining committee members negotiated last year.
His letter said the reduced weekly officer schedule has led to an increase in overtime pay by about 40%, and “has created significantly more overtime than expected,” he said in the letter.
Jeffersonville City Council Member Dustin White said the city should have prioritized funding police and contracts first last year, then addressed the rest of the annual budget.
He said the city won’t lose money from Senate Enrolled Act 1. In fact, he said it will have $3.9 million more in 2028 than they do today.
He said the mayor “exacerbated…whichever financial constraints that he thinks we have” from Senate Enrolled Act 1, when White said the mayor pushed for the city to stop a fire territory with Utica and Utica Township this year.
White called Kavanaugh’s departure as chief “a huge loss for the city of Jeffersonville,” he said. “We had in Kenny Kavanaugh a chief that had clear leadership goals for the police department. We have a well-respected police department in the city of Jeffersonville, and interrupting that is a shame.”
Kavanaugh said the last 10 years have been great and he’s proud of what the department has accomplished, like advancing the 21st Century Policing model and improving response to critical incidents.
Summing up the transition, Kavanaugh said, "It's a new day. It's a new chapter of us moving forward in the city of Jeffersonville,” he said.
He wished Moore well for the future.
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