KY Law Enforcement Council votes to not revoke former LMPD Officer’s certification

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Former Louisville Metro Police Department Officer Myles Cosgrove will keep his state law enforcement certification. This certification is required for him to be a police officer at any department in the state of Kentucky.

The decision was made Thursday after the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council voted not to revoke the peace officer certification of Myles Cosgrove.

“We are obviously pleased with that decision. It substantiates to some extent the argument we’ve been making the entire time with the Merit Board regarding his termination,” said L. Scott Miller, Cosgrove’s attorney.

Cosgrove was fired from LMPD after the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Since then he has been fighting to get his job back.

The Interim Chief at the time, Yvette Gentry said that Cosgrove shot into Taylor’s apartment 16 times without properly identifying a target which led to his termination.

“I had no faith that I could put a gun and badge back in his hands and send him back out there with life, liberty and authority in the community,” Gentry said.

Miller says Cosgrove acted consistent with national standards as it relates to police practices.

“He was shot at, his partner was shot, and he returned fire,” Miller said.

Cosgrove told investigators he believed he only fired four shots, but doesn’t deny the findings.

The Former LMPD officer admitted to investigators that he lost his motor skills that night in March of 2020 with a severity he’d never experienced before.

“He acted consistent with the standards. We believe he acted consistent with LMPD policy, and that’s part of what we are appealing right now is the Merit Board to the Circuit Court,” Miller said.

Attorney Lonita Baker, on behalf of Taylor’s mother Tamika Palmer, released a statement saying:

“Citizens in Kentucky should be alarmed that Myles Cosgrove’s license was reinstated, permitting him to possibly serve as a law enforcement [officer] in the Commonwealth. Through his own statements, Cosgrove should not be permitted to patrol the streets with a gun as he admits to losing all sensory perception when faced with gunfire which causes him to fire indiscriminately putting innocent people at risk and in the case of Breonna Taylor, causing her to be killed. I don’t feel safer with the decision of the board today which basically says, police officers do not need to be aware of their surroundings when deciding to fire their weapons.”

Cosgrove’ attorney says the KLEC decision sets the standard of what is expected of officers in these situations.

“It’s beneficial and it’s a good thing because it sends a message to all the officers that here is what the expectations are. Part of getting this ruling in our favor it helps establish that across the board that here is what is expected,” Miller said.

Miller says they don’t want to minimize the tragedy of what happened at Taylor’s apartment that night.

Cosgrove is appealing his firing from LMPD.

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