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SubscribeNew ordinance designed to curtail repeated criminal activity
In unanimous vote, The Louisville Metro Council has approved changes to the city’s public nuisance ordinance that crackdown on criminal activity at hotels and motels and holds the owner of the establishment liable for repeated police visits and arrests on the property.
Under the new ordinance, hotels and motels could face closure if nothing is done about criminal activity.
“I want to thank the members of the Metro Council for moving this legislation forward,” said Councilman Steve Magre (D-10) the chief sponsor of the changes. “These changes, if Metro Government follows through with enforcement will go a long way in giving LMPD and Code Enforcement the tools they need to crack down on many problem hotels and motels that neighborhoods in our city have had to deal with for too long.”
The ordinance sets out guidelines for citing hotels and motels for more than five arrests or citations at facilities with 100 or more rooms in a period of 60 days. It differentiates between hotels and apartment complexes. It does allow for law enforcement and code regulation to cite individual units that are problems in apartments or condominiums.
The measure was approved by the Metro Council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday. The Greater Louisville Hotel and Lodging Association work with Magre and gave its endorsement of the changes as well.
“Anytime we pass an ordinance to protect the public, we must make sure it does what it is intended to do,” said Councilman David Yates (D-25), who chairs the Public Safety Committee. “I believe we have a good piece of legislation that will protect the public and I want to thank Councilman Magre for his willingness to work with all the parties to ensure that goal is achieved.”
The ordinance also adds new definitions to the term nuisance including murder, assaults and trafficking in synthetic controlled substance. The latter offense is becoming a growing problem in Metro Louisville.
“This ordinance is a starting point for law enforcement to deal with what is becoming a serious danger to our children. It needs to be enforced. Providing better tools that our police officers can use to better protect our children is essential to the Public Safety of our community,” said Councilman David James (D-6) who included synthetic drugs into the changes.
“I am supportive anytime we can add a tool to help Code Enforcement and LMPD clean up establishments that have become a public nuisance and address loop holes in existing law that have allowed these issues to worsen over time,” said Councilman James Peden (R-23), who is Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Key provisions of the Public Nuisance Ordinance
- Revising the existing ordinance to make it more effective rather than starting over.
- Amends or adds the following definitions:
- Hotel: A building or structure kept, used advertised or held out to the public as a place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to the public, and includes motels, tourist homes and similar establishment. Excludes boarding houses and rooming houses.
- Person: Corporations, Partnerships, Trustee, Lessee, agent, assignees or other groups acting as a unit.
- Premises: Building structure, parking lot, parcel of land, common area, driveway, open spaces or any portion of the grounds.
- Adds murder and assaults to offenses constituting a nuisance.
- Adds trafficking in synthetic controlled substance, trafficking in criminal simulation, and trafficking/manufacturing drug paraphernalia to the definition of criminal activity as a public nuisance.
- Strikes current law that states a property owner has a legitimate defense if the persons cited were not the owner, employees, agent or lessees of the property owner.
Other key points:
- Criminal activity is redefined to include hotels; at least 5 occasions per 100 rooms or units in the preceding 60 days constitutes criminal activity as a public nuisance.
- Distinguishes between hotels/motels versus apartment buildings for scope of closure order.
- The distinction between apartment/condos versus hotels/motels has an enforcement trigger: more than one in 12 months with closure limited to the subject unit(s) for apts. versus 5 events per 100 rooms in 60 days with potential to close entire facility
- The owner of the property can appeal any action to the Property Maintenance /Nuisance Code Hearing Board.
For more information contact:
Tony Hyatt 574-4137 / 526-3622
Stephen Haag: 574-1204 / 645-1752
Vote set for Thursday, October 22nd
On Thursday night, The Louisville Metro Council will review and then vote on proposed changes to the city’s public nuisance ordinance. The changes are sponsored by Councilman Steve Magre (D-10) and are designed to curtail criminal activity at problem hotels and motels in Metro Louisville.
The President of the Bon Air Neighborhood Association has come out in praise of the work done on the ordinance.
“My time on the Metro Council is growing short and I want to thank the people of the Bon Air Neighborhood and those who live along Sumner Avenue for helping us get to this point,” says Magre. “”It is important to note that after action by the Council, this ordinance must be enforced and it becomes important that the city and the neighborhoods work together to achieve a safer community.”
Magre’s office is releasing this letter from Patrick Carrico, President of Bon Air Neighborhood Association, stressing the importance of the ordinance.
Bardstown Road from Goldsmith Lane to Bashford Manor Lane separates the Bon Air and Bashford Manor neighborhoods. It separates Louisville Metro District 10 from District 26. It separates the Bon Air Neighborhood Association from the Bashford Manor and the Brown Suburban Neighborhood Associations.
Despite all that separates the residents of these fine neighborhoods, we are united in our support for the revised Metro Louisville Nuisance Ordinance (O-293-15). This ordinance will close a giant loophole which has allowed the Economy Inn to become a haven for crime and a costly consumer of city services.
In 2014, the Louisville Metro Police made over 1,300 trips to the Economy Inn for reasons that include assault, drug activity, criminal mischief, and robbery. In June of this year, police responded to an attempted murder. The current nuisance ordinance does not give police or the city the tools they need to address crime hotspots at hotels in this city.
The residents of Bon Air, Bashford Manor, and the Brown Suburban are pleased to have an advocate on the Metro Council in Councilman Steve Magre, however, it is important for us, as residents and citizens of Metro Louisville, to point out that Councilman Magre has been SERVING his constituents and acting ON OUR BEHALF. It is the people of district 10 and 26 that have led the fight to address rampant criminal activity at local businesses.
The residents that live near this stretch of Bardstown Road have watched on as home values have declined and the reputation of our working class neighborhoods have been dragged through the mud due, in part, to the reputation for rampant criminal activity at the Economy Inn. We thank Councilman Magre and his staff for their generous support.
We have watched, with great interest, the swift and serious action taken by the city in response to a bar in the Highlands that has become an issue for residents in recent months. We hope that the city will take JUST AS SERIOUSLY the concerns of Bon Air, Bashford Manor, and the Brown Suburban when it comes to a business that has been an issue to residents FOR YEARS.
For the long term residents of the Economy Inn, we are committed to working with city services, the Metro Council, and the Mayor’s office to find safe, clean, and permanent housing for those who may be affected by the new nuisance ordinance and the pending Health Department review of failed inspections.
Patrick Carrico, President
Bon Air Neighborhood Association
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Consumer Protection are alerting Kentucky consumers about a data breach from Experian and are encouraging Kentuckians to take steps to protect their personal information. Attorney General Conway says consumers should watch for signs of identity theft following the breach.
Earlier this month, a breach of personal data of T-Mobile customers, that was stored on an Experian server, affected approximately 15 million consumers nationwide, including more than 134,000 Kentuckians. The accessed data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates and driver’s license numbers of current T-Mobile customers and consumers requiring a credit check for service or device financing from Sept. 1, 2013 through Sept. 16, 2015.
“Becoming a victim of a data breach can be a frustrating and stressful experience,” Attorney General Conway said. “If you have been impacted by this recent cyberattack on Experian, I encourage you to take advantage of the free credit monitoring and identity protection services being offered by the company. Additionally, consumers can always find a step-by-step toolkit designed to assist identity theft victims on my website, www.ag.ky.gov/idtheft. The faster you detect identity theft, the sooner you can report and correct it.”
Experian is sending letters to affected individuals with information about the breach and how to enroll for free credit monitoring. Consumers affected by this breach are encouraged to take advantage of two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft resolution services offered by Experian. Experian is also offering free security freezes on Experian’s credit reports to the affected consumers. To enroll in these services and view other information about the data breach, please visit Experian’s website at: http://www.experian.com/data-breach/t-mobilefacts.html
T-Mobile has also provided information about the data breach on their website:http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/experian-data-breach.html.
Attorney General Conway and his Office of Consumer Protection also recommend the following tips to help keep you safe from identity theft:
• Stay informed by checking Experian’s website for updates about the data breach.
• Take advantage of the free credit monitoring and identity resolution services offered by Experian and consider the free credit freezes on your Experian credit report. Check Experian’s website for information.
• Consider placing a free “fraud alert” on your credit reports. Fraud alerts notify businesses that check your credit reports that they should verify identity before issuing credit in your name. You can sign up by contacting any major credit bureau: Equifax, 1-800-525-6285, www.equifax.com ; TransUnion, 1-800-680-7289, www.transunion.com ; Experian, 1-888-397-3742, www.experian.com.
• Check your credit report for accounts you do not recognize or that have been placed in collection without your knowledge.
• Monitor your credit and bank accounts for unauthorized transactions. Contact your financial institution immediately if you find such transactions.
• Beware of “phishing” calls and emails from callers and websites urging you to give up personal information. Do not provide your social security number, credit card or other personal information in response to unsolicited emails or calls.
If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, contact your local police department to report it and ask for a copy of the police report or incident report. Identity theft victims can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by visiting https://www.identitytheft.gov/ or calling 1-877-438-4338. The Kentucky Attorney General’s toll-free Data Breach Hotline is 1-855-813-6508.
The Office of the Attorney General’s identity theft toolkit is available atwww.ag.ky.gov/idtheft .
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
At approximately 3:00 A.M. this morning, police were called to the 5300 block of Alanadale Dr in Valley Station.
They found two women lying in the street. Both women were taken to the University of Louisville Hospital, where one woman later died. The other is still in serious condition. After investigation, the police determined that the women were walking in the road when they were struck from behind. The driver then fled the scene.
The only information known about vehicle was that it was black or another dark color.
If you know anything about this crime, please call LMPD’s CrimeTip Hotline at 574-LMPD (5673).
Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the guilty verdict for a Muhlenberg County woman charged with murder. Following its verdict last night, a Muhlenberg County Circuit Court jury recommended 62-year-old Brenda Hardin serve the maximum sentence of life in prison for the murder of her former husband, 64-year-old Ronnie Hardin.
Yesterday, Brenda Hardin was convicted of killing her former husband, 64-year-old Ronnie Hardin after a six-day jury trial. Ronnie Hardin was found on July 7, 2014, in an outbuilding of his former home and pronounced dead at the scene by the Muhlenberg County Coroner’s Office. Brenda Hardin killed her former husband by shooting him in the chest.
This case was investigated by the Kentucky State Police Post Two in Madisonville, Ky. Attorney General Conway’s Office of Special Prosecutions handled the trial of this case at the request of Commonwealth’s Attorney Ralph Vick.
“I want to commend my Office of Special Prosecutions for its handling of this case, and I appreciate the jury’s careful consideration on the matter,” General Conway said. “Our thoughts, as always, are with the victim’s family in this case.”
Final sentencing will be scheduled for Brenda Hardin on September 18 at 10:00 a.m. CST, in Muhlenberg Circuit Court.
Franklin County Sheriff Encourages Dealers to ‘Drop a Dime’ on Competitors
Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton says he got the idea from another sheriff in Georgia. The Sheriff’s Office has been receiving thousands of online likes and shares of a post that offers their “free service to help you eliminate your drug competition.” Melton claims to have had over 100,000 people engaged by the social media post.
The campaign has led to hundreds of calls and double-digit “credible tips” about local drug dealers.
The post included a form to fill out with relevant details to help the police with their investigation, along with an address to which the form could be mailed and a phone number to call or text with the information.
While the ad is a humorous reminder to the general public that they can help clean up their neighborhoods by reporting illegal activity, it seems as if some drug dealers have taken the message to heart. It has been reported that at least one alleged drug dealer has actually called his sheriff to report another in an apparent attempt to squeeze out his competition.
Funds will expand opioid treatment for pregnant women in Bluegrass, Cumberland regions; curb rise in drug-addicted newborns
FRANKFORT, KY – Governor Steve Beshear announced today that Kentucky will receive up to $3 million in federal grants over three years to provide expanded substance abuse treatment for opiate-dependent pregnant and postpartum women from the Bluegrass and Cumberland regions of the state.
“State leaders must do everything we can do to stop the pain drug abuse is having on Kentuckians and their families every single day, especially when it impacts mothers and their babies,” Gov. Beshear said. “Pregnant women who use heroin or other opiates during pregnancy have a significant risk of adverse outcomes for themselves and their babies. This important pilot project will allow us to improve access to treatment and support for pregnant women in two of the areas of our state hardest hit by substance abuse issues.”
Kentucky is one of 11 states selected by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to receive this new grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of an initiative to increase access to substance use disorder treatment services.
Kentucky’s Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) will receive up to $3 million over three years from the grant, which it will use to build upon and expand current efforts to provide access to individualized, evidence-based substance use disorder treatment for these pregnant women, including medication-assisted therapies.
With the grant, officials hope to reduce the number of Kentucky newborns who experience neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) or neonatal opiate withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) by identifying opiate-addicted pregnant women and engaging them in treatment prior to delivery.
Kentucky hospitalizations for drug-dependent newborns soared in the last year, from 955 in 2013 to 1,409 in 2014, according to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy.
The grant will also Continue reading
