WLKY: Mayor, city officials introduce LMPD's new comprehensive crime plan, 'Safe Louisville'

Curadhan Powell, WLKY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Craig Greenberg and Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey introduced the city's new comprehensive crime plan Wednesday afternoon.

The details were discussed during a 1 p.m. news conference in the Mayor's Gallery.

"Safe Louisville" was introduced as a comprehensive set of strategies and action items intended to address community safety in Louisville from every angle.

Read WLKY's coverage of when the plan was first unveiled back in November here.

It incorporates and supplements LMPD's crime plan. Safe Louisville has three pillars: prevention, intervention, and enforcement.

You can visit the Safe Louisville official webpage here to learn more.

If you click on the bottom lefthand corner hyperlink labeled "Safe Louisville," it will take you to a multi-page document outlining every aspect of the initiative.

“To prevent crime, we must combat the root causes of violence and create conditions for peace,” says the official website for the initiative. “Intervening in crime requires focusing on stopping potential shooters before they act and stopping the cycle of incarceration. Enforcement involves protecting the public and holding violent offenders accountable for their actions.”

Greenberg said public safety is the top priority.

“I want every Louisville family to have the opportunity to build a better, stronger future, and that takes more than just making improvements around the edges,” said Greenberg. “My team and I are insisting on fundamental, lasting changes to continue reducing violent gun crimes in our community because every member of our community should be safe and feel safe in their neighborhood and every Louisville neighborhood.”

He added that Safe Louisville seeks to do as much community communication itself as possible, realizing that the media could not cover every single piece of information that the initiative wants to put out there.

The new plan to crack down on violence also calls for changes to a metro office that's been dedicated to that mission since it was created in 2013.

Greenberg announced the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods has been renamed to the Office of Violence Prevention. Additionally, executive director Paul Callanan has been replaced and the office will report to newly appointed community safety director, Misty Wright.

The sudden changes, Greenberg says, are because some of OSHN's programs worked, but others did not.

“We really want to focus on the programs that are incredibly effective, particularly with federal funding,” the mayor said. “That one-time federal funding is now gone, and we’re relying on city funds, so we want to invest in the most effective programs.”

Local anti-violence organizations, faith leaders, and loved ones of victims of violent crime were called to the table to be instrumental in this plan.

Some who stood behind the mayor during the announcement tell me that if change is necessary to save lives, they're all for it.

“The mayor is restructuring so we could see something new,” said Kimberly Moore, executive director of Joshua Community Connector. “I'm optimistic. If they don't follow through, I'll be the first person to tell you.”

Read the original article here.