An agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted unauthorized immigration-related searches of the city’s license plate data in February and March of this year, Louisville Metro Police announced Tuesday.
Following an investigation, Louisville Metro police determined the agent was able to access the database because an LMPD detective shared his password because they were working on narcotics cases together.
The searches were discovered and revealed by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, and prompted LMPD Police Chief Paul Humphrey to open an internal investigation.
LMPD announced the investigation’s findings Tuesday and said three employees, including an assistant chief, have been disciplined, although it did not provide the names of those personnel.
The DEA’s Louisville Field Division did not dispute LMPD’s findings. Public Information Officer Kevin McWilliams told KyCIR on Tuesday that DEA agents use every tool available to fulfill their duties. In this case, the agent involved was unaware it was a violation of Louisville government’s policies to run immigration-related searches of the city’s license plate database.
“DEA special agents have a duty to investigate and arrest individuals who violate federal laws, and we’ll continue to meet that obligation with professionalism and compassion,” he said.
LMPD oversees a network of nearly 200 license plate readers, supplied by the company Flock Safety, that photograph passing cars on public streets, catalog the information and share it with law enforcement across the U.S.
KyCIR analyzed public records and published a report in November revealing that in February and March 2025, an account belonging to LMPD officer Wesley Troutman listed “Immigration” as the reason for 27 Flock searches and listed “ERO” – an acronym for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations – as the reason for 123 searches. The inquiries happened shortly before federal officials announced the arrests of 81 immigrants in Kentucky through an operation “coordinated out of Louisville.”
LMPD’s internal investigation, prompted by KyCIR’s findings, looked at whether Troutman shared his Flock login information with members of the DEA.
LMPD’s Tuesday news release did not name Troutman, but did say that investigators found a police detective working as a task force officer assigned to the DEA did share his Flock credentials with a DEA agent prior to 2025 “for narcotic trafficking investigations they were working together.”
“In February and March of 2025, without the LMPD detective’s knowledge, the DEA agent used those Flock credentials to search the system using immigration-related terms,” LMPD said in the announcement.
Attorney Todd Lewis, who represents Troutman, confirmed in a statement that Troutman was the detective disciplined for password-sharing. He said Troutman “never knowingly approved the use of his FLOCK password” to do civil immigration enforcement and believed the DEA, as a drug enforcement and not an immigration enforcement agency, would use his login information only for such criminal investigations.
This year, President Donald Trump’s administration authorized the DEA to do immigration enforcement work as part of his aggressive campaign to deport millions of immigrants.
“Troutman did not conduct immigration searches in FLOCK. Troutman did not knowingly allow others to conduct such searches,” Lewis, Troutman’s attorney, said in a statement. “Detective Troutman has decided to accept responsibility for what is alleged by LMPD (albeit very unclearly) to be a violation of that technical password policy, for no other reason than to put this matter to final rest, to stop unfair speculation, and to go on with his police work.”
LMPD emphasized that its investigators “found no evidence that any LMPD personnel participated in civil immigration investigations or enforcement activities.” With few exceptions, a city ordinance strictly limits how LMPD officers can assist ICE, including prohibiting “any law enforcement action…for the purpose of detecting the presence of undocumented persons.”
KyCIR’s findings led Humphrey to open an internal investigation. Humphrey ultimately opened Professional Standards Unit inquiries into four employees. LMPD’s announcement said the detective who shared his password has been disciplined for doing that. An LMPD lieutenant, who is unnamed in the news release, was also disciplined “for providing inappropriate guidance to the detective.”
KyCIR reported this month that public records show Humphrey opened inquiries into three LMPD commanders — Lt. Col. Nicholas Owen, Major Stephen Lacefield, and Lt. Jeremy Ruoff — in relation to the Troutman case. Those three cases were looking at whether any of the commanders knew, said or did anything “regarding any direction given” about directives to provide information about the Flock searches.
Tuesday’s announcement also said an assistant chief “was demoted to the rank of lieutenant for failing to follow direct orders and not providing relevant information to the Chief.” This, too, was in relation to the internal investigation of the immigration-related Flock searches.
“Addressing issues directly, asking tough questions and making difficult decisions are the fundamentals of leadership. They are essential to accountability and trust,” Humphrey said in an emailed statement to KyCIR. “When an issue was raised, we investigated it, took corrective action, and reinforced the standards and expectations for LMPD. Those involved have had excellent careers and I expect nothing less from them going forward.”
KyCIR asked which employees were cleared of wrongdoing in the investigation. An LMPD spokesperson said Lacefield was cleared, but did not mention any of the others.
LMPD said it found no evidence that any other LMPD Flock accounts were used to run immigration-related searches, and it has instituted new safeguards to prevent the city’s license plate reader database from being used in this way again. They include:
- Requiring two-factor authentication to access the Flock system
- Requiring a valid National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) code for every Flock inquiry, “ensuring each search is connected to a criminal investigation.”
- With the company Flock Safety’s assistance, LMPD set filters that block any law enforcement agencies from running immigration-related searches.
- Revising the department’s internal immigration policy so it applies to requests for assistance that come from any federal law enforcement agency.
LMPD also said it’s “strengthening its password-sharing policy to make clear that credential sharing is prohibited for any system, not just internal network access.”
“These steps reflect LMPD’s commitment to accountability, data integrity, and ensuring policies are followed,” the news release said.
