Crime Down 4 Percent In Louisville For First Half Of 2017

Louisville has experienced a 4 percent drop in crime overall for the first half of 2017, with declines in all eight LMPD divisions and in every category except homicides, Mayor Greg Fischer and Chief Steve Conrad announced today.
(See Louisville crime data for 2017.)

LMPD data from the first six months of 2017 compared to the same six months of 2016 show:

Violent crime overall is down 5 percent.

• Homicides are up 20 percent
• Rape is down 15 percent
• Robbery is down 14 percent
• Aggravated Assaults are down 0.5 percent

Property Crime is down 3.7 percent

• Burglary is down 1.9 percent
• Larceny is down 4.8 percent
• Motor vehicle theft is down 1.4 percent

“This data is clear – with the exception of homicides, we are headed in the right direction for every category of crime,” Fischer said.

The Mayor said the data shows there were 658 fewer crimes in Louisville for the first half of the year, an overall 4 percent reduction.  “That is 658 fewer citizens who were victims in Louisville,” he said.

And the declines are being seen across all eight LMPD patrol divisions:

• First Division (Downtown area, Portland, Russell and Phoenix Hill neighborhoods): Down 10.3 percent.
• Second Division (Shawnee, Chickasaw and Park DuValle neighborhoods): Down 5.5 percent.
• Third Division (Iroquois Park, Pleasure Ridge Park, Valley Station and Fairdale): Down 2.7 percent.
• Fourth Division ( Smoketown, Churchill Downs, the Fairgrounds, South Louisville and Old Louisville):  Down 4.2 percent.
• Fifth Division (Highlands, Clifton and Cherokee and Seneca Park areas): Down 7 percent.
• Sixth Division (Audubon Park, Newburg, Norfolk, the airport and GE): Down 2.3 percent.
• Seventh Division (Okolona, Fern Creek, Ford plant and the Jefferson Mall): Down 0.13 percent.
• Eighth Division (Middletown, Lyndon, Oxmoor and the Ford Truck Plant): Down 0.07 percent.

Chief Conrad credited the entire LMPD team, from the command staff to the patrol officers, for work that is making a difference in the city.

“The entire force at LMPD is here to protect and serve the citizens, and I’m proud that we are having an impact,” Conrad said. “We will continue to work our plan, with a key focus on reducing homicides and getting the crime-fighting resources to the neighborhoods that need them most.”

Fischer and Conrad both cautioned that, although the six months of data shows positive signs, there is still tremendous work ahead to make Louisville one of America’s safest large cities. “But we are committed to making that happen,” Fischer said.