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The Public Safety Committee of the Louisville Metro Council has invited Judge Denise Brown, of Jefferson Family Court to talk about the Jefferson Family Recovery Court program when it meets on Wednesday, September 19th.
“It is important we learn more about deterrent programs which will allow the victims of substance abuse to get the help they need and keep families together,” says Councilwoman Jessica Green, who chairs the Committee. “Judge Brown will tell us about the program which uses a family centered collaborative approach to families involved in the dependency, neglect and abuse that have been impacted by parental substance abuse.”
According to Jefferson Family Court, JFRC is a response to the high percentage of substantiated child abuse and neglect cases that involve substance use by a parent. Over 90% of children in state custody have parents with drug/alcohol addiction.
The Public Safety Committee will meet at 3:30pm in Council Chambers, Historic City Hall, 601 West Jefferson Street.
The meeting is carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 or on UVERSE at Channel 99. All meetings of the Metro Council are streamed live. Go to the Metro Council Home page at www.Louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil and click on the Metro Council Agendas link.
Mayor Greg Fischer joined partners from across public and private sectors today to announce the development of Kentucky’s first Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, known as LEAD, to divert opioid addicted people from jails in favor of case management and treatment.
The LEAD program, which was first launched in Seattle in 2011, is an innovative pre-booking, community-based program focused on routing individuals suspected of committing low-level drug-related offenses away from jail and prosecution into treatment.
The Mayor announced the city has been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to fund a pilot project, serving 50 qualifying individuals who come into contact with police in the Portland and Russell neighborhoods over the next 18 months.
“The Opioid crisis remains a vital concern to public safety in this community,” said Mayor Fischer. “But incarceration cannot be the only option for those struggling with addiction. We must find ways to divert people to treatment and stem the tide of drug-related crime. This program is one more option for our community.”
For the past several months, the LEAD planning team has been putting together the framework for the pilot program, which is expected to be fully launched by Oct. 1.
Here’s how the program will work:
- LMPD officers working in the targeted beats in the Russell and Portland neighborhoods will use discretionary authority at the point of contact to divert eligible candidates into intervention for offenses driven by substance use disorder.
- The LMPD officer will determine eligibility for the LEAD program based on established offense criteria and criminal history exclusions. Eligible crimes will include felony possession of an opiate and possession of heroin under two grams, as well as low-level property crime stemming from opiate addiction.
- Instead of taking them to jail, officers will take those volunteering to participate to the Volunteers of America Mid-States triage location on West Broadway to be connected with a case manager.
- Within 72-hours a potential participant must complete an in-depth assessment before becoming one of the 50 pilot project participants to receive treatment and wrap-around services.
- Volunteers of America Mid-States will assume responsibility for the case management of the individuals.
- The Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky, housed at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, will conduct the evaluation of the program.
“So often, officers come into contact with members of our community who are committing crime as part of their addiction to opioids and other drugs,” said Col. Michael Sullivan, deputy chief for Louisville Metro Police. “This gives officers a tool to divert people into treatment, rather than taking them to jail, where they may or may not get to address the underlying issue leading them to crime.”
Volunteers of America Mid-States will work with pilot program participants to coordinate services they need to get themselves back to a healthy and productive lifestyle.
“We know that we can change people’s lives when we surround them with professional care and treatment and access to comprehensive support and services,” said Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO of Volunteers of America Mid-States. “Opioid use and addiction is a public health crisis and LEAD will be successful because it offers a public health solution.”
University of Louisville’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences joins the partnership to help ensure the program is working as it should. Liza Creel, PhD, and Susan Buchino, PhD, both scholars of the Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky, will conduct the evaluation.
“Our evaluation will aim to measure outcomes in the areas of recidivism, public safety, cost savings, and fidelity to the Seattle LEAD model,” Creel said. “By following an evidence-based intervention that has shown success in other communities and designing it to meet Louisville’s needs, the Louisville LEAD pilot has great potential to positively impact participant lives and our community.”
Members of the planning team working to set up the pilot include:
- Jamie Allen, Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission
- Debora McGill, Project Coordinator, DFM Consulting
- Todd Felty, Louisville Metro Police Department
- Lisa Langford, Jefferson County Attorney’s Office
- Ebert Haegele, Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney
- Sarah Moyer, Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness
- Liza Creel, Commonwealth Institute, University of Louisville
- Susan Buchino, Commonwealth Institute, University of Louisville
- Mane Martirosyan, Louisville Metro Department of Corrections
- Margaret Pennington, REACH of Louisville
- Dan Goyette, Louisville-Jefferson County Public Defender Corporation
Angela Leet Releases Statement on Crime Numbers
Mayoral candidate and current District 7 Councilwoman Angela Leet called the Fischer Administration’s claim that crime is down, “dishonest.”
“This claim is absolutely disingenuous. During Fischer’s first year in office, there were 49 homicides in the county. Last year, there were 108 homicides in the county. This year, we are currently on track to double the number of homicides in Fischer’s first year. So seeing a tiny downtick in a few week’s time is not a victory when all Fischer has managed to do is set a new normal of more than a 100 homicides a year,” said Leet.
In a 2005 survey, Morgan Quitno Press ranked Louisville as the seventh safest large city in the United States with that rank dropping to number eight in the 2006 edition of the survey. Lousiville, however, failed to make independent security review site SafeWise’s 2017 list of 50 Safest Metro Cities in America at all and came in at 106 in WalletHub’s 2017’s Safest Cities in America rankings.
Leet claimed that the legacy of the Fischer Administration would be that “homicides have doubled, shootings have doubled, and drug overdose deaths have tripled” under the oversight of the current mayor.
The LMPD historical homicide data does show a dramatic uptick in murders over the past several years. The highest number of murders since 1960, the earliest year in which data is available, was 2016’s record setting year with 122 homicides in Jefferson County, followed closely by 2017’s number of 116 total homicides.
Fischer’s first year in office, 2011, saw the lowest number of homicides since 2003. The several years following his tenure as Mayor showed measurably higher numbers before beginning their remarkable increase to the numbers seen in recent years.
Leet continued, “For the 10 years prior to Fischer taking office, U of L Hospital admitted an average of 166 gunshot victims per year. During the Fischer Administration, U of L Hospital has seen an average of over 200 shooting victims, and that average is over 300 for the last 2 years. 1700 people have been admitted to University of Louisville Hospital for gunshot wounds since Fischer took office. That does not even include victims who were not admitted.”
Putting a rosy spin on crime numbers is nothing new, however. Last August we published the city’s release claiming that crime overall in Lousiville was down 4%, driven by large decreases in violent crimes such as rape and robbery, and smaller decreases in property crimes like larceny. The article, however, noted then that homicides were up by 20% over the previous year’s data.
However, Leet said of Fischer’s attempt “to spin a tale of ‘crime is down'” in a year in which he is up for reelection, “I am disappointed that Fischer is manipulating numbers and denying the reality of drug and gang issues in our neighborhoods.“
Louisville Metro Animal Services is investigating the death of a dog that was shot with an arrow in the Fairdale area, and a $500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the unacceptable act of cruelty on a defenseless animal.
On Wednesday, June 21st at about 5p.m., a man brought to the LMAS shelter an approximately 2-year-old Jack Russell Terrier with a large arrow protruding through its body. Despite the efforts of staff, the dog died on the way to Jefferson Animal Hospital.
The LMAS Animal Control Division is investigating, and the non-profit Friends of Metro Animal Services is offering a $500 reward for information in this case. Shooting a pet with an arrow is a criminal act.
The dog was found Wednesday afternoon in the vicinity of the 8900 block of Brown Austin Rd. in Fairdale. The approximately 2-foot long arrow entered the dog’s left hip area and was protruding from the right side of its abdomen, near the left shoulder. The dog did not have a microchip and so far, its owner has not been located.
LMAS Animal Control is interviewing residents in the area in an effort to get justice for a helpless dog that suffered tremendously before its death.
LMAS will gladly accept donations to boost the $500 reward being offered by FOMAS. Anyone with information about the dog’s owner, or knows who may be responsible for its fatal injuries is asked to contact Louisville Metro Police at 574-LMPD.
Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced a third human trafficking arrest tied to a joint investigation by his office and Louisville Metro Police Department.
Quentin J. Burris, 26, of Louisville, was arrested yesterday in Louisville on two counts of human trafficking with victims under 18 years of age, Class B felonies.
Burris’s arrest is in connection with the search warrant served Feb. 13 at a Louisville home by Beshear’s Department of Criminal Investigations and LMPD’s Special Victim’s Unit.
The joint operation is active and ongoing. Burris is lodged at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections with a $100,000 cash bond.
Burris along with Abigail Varney and Nigel Nicholas have all been charged in connection to the investigation, which led to the discovery of two 16-year-old female victims who were being sold for sex on Backpage in January 2018.
The Backpage website is a major classified advertising website that promoted prostitution and sex trafficking, including the trafficking of children.
Since taking office, Beshear has worked to change a federal law that prevented the investigation and prosecution of companies like Backpage by state, territorial and local authorities.
In March, congress passed a law to allow these authorities to join the fight to hold accountable those who promote and facilitate child sex trafficking online.
In April, Federal law enforcement agencies seized the Backpage website.
“We are grateful Backpage, which has been used as a means of promoting the rape of children, is no longer active,” said Beshear. “We are monitoring federal actions against the website and want to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
A core mission of Beshear’s is to bring justice to victims of rape, sexual assault and human trafficking.
Beshear has established the Kentucky Attorney General’s office as the leading state agency fighting human trafficking.
The office, along with the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations, handles human trafficking cases, and assists local law enforcement and prosecutors on human trafficking complaints.
To learn more about human trafficking and efforts to fight it, contact the Attorney General’s Office of Child Abuse and Human Trafficking Prevention and Prosecution at 502-696-5300 or visit Catholic Charities of Louisville Rescue and Restore program website at http://www.rescueandrestoreky.org. The national human trafficking hotline number is 888-373-7888.
A review of theft from automobiles, stolen vehicles and burglaries in the Highlands for the first quarter of 2018 shows that 34.4% of the crimes committed (55 of 160) were easy targets because the doors were left unlocked, keys were left inside or otherwise made available to thieves, according to Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8).
Councilman Coan strongly urges citizens to lock their vehicles and buildings and take their valuables out of their cars as part of a new campaign called #KeepLouisvilleLocked.
“The failure to lock your doors and take your valuables out of your car not only inflates the crime rate, it gives your neighborhood a reputation as an easy target which, in turn, attracts more crime,” Coan said. “Please do your part and park smart.”
Coan is partnering with the Louisville Metro Police Fifth Division, Louisville Parks and Recreation and others to reduce crime of opportunity in District 8. He tracks “unlocked” crimes in his bi-weekly newsletter and intends to report out the statistics to local media outlets and community stakeholders on a quarterly basis.
To receive District 8 eNews, go to: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-8/subscribe-s…
For more information about #KeepLouisvilleLocked, contact Councilman Coan’s office at 574-1108.
As many Kentuckians begin to plan their summer vacation, Attorney General Andy Beshear is warning of scam calls offering deep discounts on travel to Orlando, Florida, and the Bahamas.
Beshear said his office issued a Scam Alert after Kentuckians in Bourbon, Boyd, Calloway, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison and Woodford counties have reported receiving vacation scam calls.
In a recording obtained by the Office of the Attorney General, a caller claims qualified travelers can book a weeklong vacation to Orlando, Florida, right next to Disney, and a three-day stay on a beach in the Bahamas for 75 percent off the retail rate. The caller says vacationers receive a complementary cruise to the Bahamas, a bonus gift and food.
Beshear said these type of calls often end with a victim providing an upfront payment and their personal and financial information in exchange for the promise of a luxury vacation they never get to take.
“The right thing for Kentuckians to do is resist the temptation to quickly book a vacation they have supposedly qualified for or won,” said Beshear. “Always verify and research a travel agency before providing personal or financial information.”
Beshear said not all vacation deals are a scam and offers the following tips to help Kentuckians spot and avoid scams.
- Watch for high-pressure tactics where a caller wants you to act quickly and pay upfront booking fees.
- Obtain booking and reservation confirmation numbers directly from the cruise company rather than the travel agency or agent.
- Do not send money via wire transfer, gift cards or cash.
Beshear said his office works to stay ahead of scammers by alerting Kentuckians when new and trending scams are reported in Kentucky. Kentuckians can sign up to receive Scam Alerts by texting the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams.
To report a scam to the Office of the Attorney General dial 888-432-9257 or file a consumer complaint online.
