Republicans on Metro Council highlight progress on ‘Safer Louisville’ plan, add two new initiatives

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Republican members of Louisville Metro Council said Tuesday that they have made significant progress on their comprehensive “Safer Louisville” plan and announced the addition of two new policy initiatives moving forward.

During a news conference, the council members pointed to what they described as successful collaboration with first responders and law enforcement. They said nearly all of the plan’s policy proposals are now either completed or moving toward implementation, including the recent passage of a human trafficking ordinance.

“This new ordinance gives Louisville the tools necessary to pivot to a position of implementation, which is exactly where we are right now,” said Councilman Jeff Hudson, R-23. “The wheels are in motion to make tangible and positive impacts on the safety and wellbeing of the people in our city.”

Last year at City Hall, the group outlined several safety-focused priorities they intend to formally propose over the next year, including:

• Adding Kentucky State Police patrols on Jefferson County interstate roadways

• Eliminating streetside solicitation

• Funding a pilot program to install streetlights in two high-crime areas

• Cracking down on illegal ATV use

• Seeking a timely reopening of the Juvenile Justice Center

• Planning and developing a new jail to improve worker and inmate safety

• Expanding funding for traffic feedback signs, Flock cameras and real-time video cameras

• Supporting greater transparency through a judicial and prosecutorial “scorecard,” particularly in violent crime cases

• Funding construction of a new first responder training facility

Council members also announced two new proposals aimed at addressing retail theft and illegal donation bins.

“These proposals aren’t about making people feel better — they are real changes and initiatives that are based on research and work with persons in law enforcement,” Councilman Khalil Batshon, R-25, said in a news release. “We pledged to give regular updates, and today we are following up on that promise, showing that many of our goals are already being accomplished and others are moving toward implementation.”