LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some residents and business owners are calling for stronger safety measures in parts of south Louisville, and their councilwoman, Betsy Ruhe, is responding.
A favorable vote by Metro Council on Thursday will fund additional police patrols in two high-crime areas during peak early morning hours.
From 3 to 7 a.m., an officer will patrol Southland Boulevard near the Iroquois Manor Shopping Center and Rutherford Elementary School, along with the Woodlawn Business District in Beechmont, from the Iroquois Library to South First Street.
“They broke out all of the windows and went in and tried to steal all the cigarettes at one store,” Ruhe said. “In this area in particular, they’ve had a string of vandalism and break-ins primarily happening around 5 in the morning.”
Officials will test the pilot program for 30 days.
The District 21 Neighborhood Development Fund will cover the officer’s pay, totaling $8,000. That equals about $270 per day based on the overtime hourly rate of $66.
Ruhe said investing in tools that help deter crime in her district is worthwhile, especially considering the challenges the community faces.
“We’ve got a very diverse community here with people who are very comfortable in their lives, but we have lots of people who are really struggling,” she said. “Unfortunately, some of the people who are struggling resort to crime to get their needs met, and that hurts our businesses.”
LMPD’s crime mapping site shows frequent incidents in these neighborhoods, including vandalism, burglaries, armed robberies, theft, and assaults.
Southland Boulevard is also where 18-year-old William Jenkins was shot and killed by police last November after he was suspected of robbing a DoorDash delivery driver.
In a statement about the program, an LMPD spokesperson said, “The directed patrols are intended to enhance public safety and visibility and are not a permanent reassignment of resources.”
Ruhe said the effort is meant to be a temporary solution, especially as the department currently has fewer sworn officers.
“We have the manpower to do this part-time, but as an ongoing program, there are so many priorities across our city that we’re doing what we can,” she said.
The new patrols by Louisville police are expected to begin in the coming days.
This initiative will also complement patrols that the sheriff’s department already conducts in these areas.
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