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Photo: State Treasurer website
Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball won a major victory in court when Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd granted her request to participate in the ongoing lawsuit filed by former Kentucky Retirement Systems Board member Tommy Elliott.
“This is a real victory for Kentucky taxpayers and retirees,” Treasurer Ball said in a statement. “The courts recognized that, as Treasurer, I have the responsibility and legal authority to make sure that every taxpayer and retiree dollar is being spent legally. In a time that Kentucky’s retirement system is in crisis, Mr. Elliott’s actions not only violate the law, but they are incredibly wasteful and irresponsible. I would hope that he would stop spending hundreds of thousands of Kentucky retiree pensions on personal vendettas.”
Mr. Elliott is currently using Kentucky retiree pension dollars to fund his lawsuit against Governor Bevin. Governor Bevin removed Mr. Elliott from the KRS board last year, and Mr. Elliott sought legal counsel to contest his removal. Former Kentucky Retirement Systems director William Thielen initially approved Mr. Elliott’s request to use Kentucky retiree pension funds to pursue his claims against Governor Bevin’s administrator, causing Treasurer Ball to sue due to constitutional spending issues. Interim Director David Eager has stopped making payments on Mr. Elliott’s legal bills, while waiting for the court to rule on Treasurer Ball’s arguments.
The Attorney General is also involved in the case, arguing on Mr. Elliott’s behalf with regard to his removal, which underscores the Treasurer’s argument that Mr. Elliott’s is needlessly spending pension dollars. “To have two parties arguing the exact same issue from the exact same perspective is a huge waste of resources,” Treasurer Ball’s General Counsel, Noah Friend, said. “Especially when one of those parties is trying to foot the bill with hard-earned retiree pension money.”
Kentucky is currently facing a pension crisis and elected officials are looking for ways to make sure Kentucky’s public pension systems are fully funded.
“I will always advocate for legal and proper spending,” Treasurer Ball said. “It’s this kind of financial misadventure that put us in this pension crisis in the first place. I hope that Judge Shepherd’s decision causes Mr. Elliott to reconsider his approach to this litigation, with an eye towards stopping the pointless and wasteful draining of retirement funds.”
Gov. Matt Bevin today restored the right to vote and hold public office to 284 more prior offenders who have completed their respective sentences and have applied for restoration of their civil rights.
The orders are pending final background reviews by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. They exclude individuals convicted of violent or sex crimes, bribery or treason.
“As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, it is fitting to reflect upon the many blessings that we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America,” said Gov. Bevin. “The opportunity for second chances and redemption has been a cornerstone principle of our great nation since its inception.
“The criminal justice system should not exist solely to punish offenders, but also to rehabilitate and assimilate them back into society. Through this executive action, we are empowering men and women with the opportunity to become contributing members of our communities. Restoring the voting rights of certain prior offenders who have paid their debt to society is a significant step towards achieving this goal. There will be many more such opportunities in the months and years ahead.”
A total of 308 Kentuckians have had their civil rights restored thus far, as the Bevin Administration continues to work through the backlog of applications it inherited in December 2015. Each individual application is carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.
While the orders restore the right to vote and hold public office, they do not restore any other civil right, including but not limited to the right to receive, possess or transport in commerce a firearm or serve on a jury.
The Bevin Administration has initiated groundbreaking criminal justice reform efforts aimed at removing barriers for offenders to successfully reenter society.
In 2016, Gov. Bevin signed into law historic felony expungement legislation that gives non-violent felony offenders who have paid their debt to society a second chance. House Bill 40 allows Kentuckians convicted of certain Class D felonies—who have paid their debt to society, have stayed out of trouble as required by the law, and have shown that they are indeed trying to get back on track—to erase their criminal records and obtain a second chance at jobs, housing, and other opportunities sometimes denied felons.
Also, this past February, Gov. Bevin issued an executive order that removes questions about criminal history from the initial application for state jobs in the executive branch. The Fair Chance Employment Initiative means that applicants will not be required to check the box for criminal convictions on the initial state application, a policy in line with twenty-four states and more than 150 cities and counties across the nation.
Individuals who are interested in applying for restoration of their civil rights may do so by obtaining a form at any Probation and Parole office, or by contacting the Department of Corrections at 502-782-2248 or online at corrections.ky.gov, and returning the form to the address listed.
A spreadsheet listing all Kentuckians who have had their civil rights restored during the Bevin Administration can be downloaded here.
Attorney General Andy Beshear and Woodford County Sheriff Wayne “Tiny” Wright said a group of door-to-door blacktop contractors are targeting elderly residents in Woodford County, and possibly families in the Central Kentucky region.
Beshear said Sheriff Wright contacted his office after a Woodford County resident was pressured into overpaying contractors to seal her driveway. Sheriff Wright said the woman initially received a low quote of $1,400 to complete the work and after complete, she was told she owed $25,000. Ultimately, the woman paid $14,000 for a project that should have cost around $4,000.
“Thanks to the quick work of Sheriff Wright’s office payment was stopped on the check and the citizen avoided losing her money,” said Beshear. “We appreciate the Woodford County Sheriff’s Office for reporting this scam and we want to make sure more Kentuckians know the signs to watch out for when it comes to avoiding door-to-door scammers.”
“Community awareness is key to stopping these predatory scammers,” said Sheriff Wright. “Whether they offer to seal your driveway, paint your fence or any other odd job, contact your local sheriff’s office immediately if you suspect suspicious activity.”
Beshear said not all door-to-door salespersons are scammers and many are honest trying to make a living. Nevertheless, before you commit to a door-to-door sales pitch take time to follow these tips:
- Be wary of a low price quote
If you receive an unusually low price quote be suspicious. Before you complete any large home improvement project, consider getting multiple quotes from different contractors. - Verify and check online reviews
Verify that the contractor or business is registered to do business in Kentucky on the Secretary of State’s website, also check business licensing requirements with your city or county government. Verify online reviews through the Better Business Bureau, and ask for ID and contact previous customer references. - Avoid upfront payment
If a contractor asks for upfront payment for a small home improvement job this should trigger a red flag. Often times, very large projects require some type of upfront payment, but only after the contractor is properly screened and a guarantee contract is signed. - Do not fall for high-pressure tactics
Do not rush into making a decision. Tell the salesperson you need to discuss with your family, or you are not interested. Ensure any agreement is in writing and tell the salesperson you will review the agreement and get back in contact with them.
One of Beshear’s top priorities is to protect Kentuckians, especially senior citizens from scams, abuse and exploitation. Beshear said the best way to stay ahead of con artists is to be aware of new and trending scams by signing up to receive Scam Alerts from the Office of the Attorney General.
Scam Alerts provide Kentuckians a direct alert, including tips on how to avoid scams reported in Kentucky. To enroll, text the words KYOAG Scam to GOV311 (468311), or enroll online at ag.ky.gov/scams and select text message or email alert.
To report a scam contact the Attorney General’s Office at 888-432-9257 and file a complaint online.
Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced that his office is working with Tennessee law enforcement to focus on the effective prosecution of vehicular homicide cases.
The annual training event, being held in Pigeon Forge June 13-15, brings together Kentucky commonwealth’s attorneys with prosecutors from the Tennessee District Attorney’s Office and crash reconstruction officers from both states.
“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth has experienced a 10 percent increase in annual highway fatalities from 2015 through 2016,” Beshear said. “My administration is focused on addressing the persistent challenges our families face, and one of those is better addressing Kentucky’s drug epidemic. Every time our families, our friends or our children get in a vehicle, they are at risk of being harmed by a driver under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.”
In 2016, 834 people were killed on Kentucky’s roadways.
A statistic that remains constant, Beshear said, is that one in five highway fatalities are in crashes that involved alcohol.
In Kentucky last year, there were more than 6,228 collisions involving alcohol and drugs, resulting in more than 2,900 injuries and 167 fatalities.
Advanced training in this area by prosecutors and crash reconstructionists will improve the ability of prosecutors to both recognize these events as well as to successfully prosecute them when warranted, Beshear said.
Attorney General’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Robert Stokes will work in coordination with his Tennessee counterpart to present the training, which is open to the media. The training is at the Courtyard Marriott at 120 Community Drive in Pigeon Forge.
The goal of the training is to create a team building approach between crash reconstruction officers and state prosecutors, Stokes said.
The training is presented under the direction of the American Prosecutors Research Institute’s (APRI) National Traffic Law Center. Last year’s training was held at Lake Barkley State Park in Cadiz.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
Louisville Metro recently discovered an incident that may affect the security of personal information stored within our environment. This notice is meant to provide information about the incident, steps taken since discovering the incident, and information on what potentially affected individuals can do to better protect against the possibility of identity theft and fraud.
A computer used by two Assistant County Attorneys was recently stolen from the Louisville Hall of Justice. The computer, about the size of a book, was located in a publicly accessible conference room and not secured to the table it was stationed on. After the theft was reported, Louisville Metro launched an internal investigation and retained third-party forensic experts to determine what information may have been stored on the hard drive at the time of the theft. Though the computer was later recovered, the hard drive had been removed. The investigation determined that the emails of the two attorneys may have been saved locally to the hard drive.
Though Louisville Metro has no evidence that the data contained on the hard drive was subject to unauthorized access, on April 19, 2017 Louisville Metro discovered that certain personal information was contained within the email account of one of the attorneys. While we are unaware of any actual of attempted misuse of this information, in an abundance of caution, we are providing notice of this incident. The information stored on the computer and potentially subject to unauthorized access included some individuals’ names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and driver’s license numbers.
Notices have been mailed to the less than 175 individuals affected by this event.
To Learn More
Louisville Metro has established a confidential call center regarding this incident. The call center is staffed with professionals who can answer questions about this incident and provide information on how to protect against misuse of personal information. The call center is available Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T. at 1-800-939-4170.
Louisville Metro encourages potentially affected individuals review their account statements and credit reports for suspicious activity.
In addition, under U.S. law affected individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.
Individuals may also contact the three major credit reporting agencies below to put a “fraud alert” or “credit freeze” on their credit file.
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348
800-525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022-2000
800-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Further, affected individuals can educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the Federal Trade Commission or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement. Kentucky Residents: The Kentucky Attorney General’s office can be contacted at 888-432-9257 or 502-696-5389.
Gov. Matt Bevin yesterday met with more than 400 faith leaders and concerned citizens at Louisville’s Western Middle School to address the epidemic of violence that is gripping the heart of Kentucky’s largest city.
He invited churches and other community groups to commit to “adopt” an inner-city neighborhood block to visit 2-3 times per week over the course of the next year—respectfully walking the perimeter in teams of 3-10 individuals to pray for and get to know local residents.
“I truly believe we’re going to see a difference in this city,” said Gov. Bevin. “I personally believe in the power of prayer. I’ve seen it evidenced in our community and across others.”
“Don’t lose sight of this: these are the sons and daughters of Louisville and Kentucky,” he said. “We owe it to each other to have each other’s back on this.”
Please click the following links to access pertinent resources:
- Presentation from Gov. Bevin’s “Reclaiming Our Communities” message
- Maps of Louisville-Jefferson County homicides: 2015 | 2016 | 2015-17
- Listing of potential Louisville-Jefferson County neighborhood blocks to “adopt”
“Do we still need economic, political and law enforcement solutions? Of course we do,” noted Gov. Bevin. “This will not take their place but we feel it will make a real difference.”
For more information or to commit to “adopt” a block, please contact Adrienne Southworth at reclaim@ky.gov.
As a way to help Metro Police and keep homes and families safe, Councilman Brandon Coan (D-8) and Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9) are partnering with officers of the LMPD Fifth Division to sponsor a Neighborhood Watch Workshop and Drug Toss on Wednesday, May 24th.
This workshop is a focused effort to increase the number of Neighborhood Watch Programs in both districts.
“We are offering citizens the tools and training to help the police keep District 8 safe. My goal is for fifty percent of all the blocks in District 8 to have registered, effective block watches by the end of 2020, and we will host these workshops quarterly until we get there,” says Councilman Coan.
The workshop will be held at the Douglass Community Center Gymnasium beginning at 6:00pm.
“Fighting crime takes everyone – police officers but also engaged residents. Getting involved in a Neighborhood Watch program is a great way to get to know your neighbors, make everyone aware of their surroundings and help our officers prevent and solve crimes,” say Councilman Hollander.
The event will teach individuals how to organize effective block watches and mobilize neighborhoods to work with police to keep everyone safe. Residents and business owners will get a chance to meet some of the officers who patrol their area while they train on how to form a good neighborhood watch program.
The workshop will also provide an opportunity for citizens to drop off old and unneeded prescription drugs to LMPD at the event for safe disposal.
For more information about the Neighborhood Block Watch and Drug Toss, contact Councilman Coan’s office at 574-1108 or Councilman Hollander’s officer at 574-1109.
