Louisville sees 25% drop in violent crime, city leaders credit prevention programs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville city leaders say violent crime is down this year.

Mayor Craig Greenberg said homicides and shootings across Louisville have dropped by about 25 percent compared to last year, while carjackings, aggravated assaults and robberies are also down.

“We are on the right track, friends,” Greenberg said. “But I’m not content, because there still is too much violent crime that happens in our city.”

The update came as the city released a three-year report on progress by the Office for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods and its Office of Violence Prevention, key players in the mayor’s Safe Louisville initiative. The plan aims to cut violent crime by 15 percent each year through prevention, intervention and enforcement.

Office of Violence Prevention Deputy Director Ashley Webb said one of the city’s most successful programs, Pivot to Peace, connects victims and those at risk of gun violence with mentors and long-term support. The program reaches people in crisis through individuals from the same neighborhoods who have lived experience with violence or the justice system.

“We are meeting people where they’re at,” Webb said. “And in the four areas where Pivot to Peace operates, we’ve seen a 62% drop in shootings and homicides, more than double the citywide average.”

Webb said outreach teams work with high-risk individuals for up to 18 months, helping them obtain IDs, find jobs and access mental health care. The office also partners with UofL Hospital, where advocates meet with victims of shootings and stabbings to connect them to recovery services.

Grassroots coalitions are also playing a major role. In Louisville’s Taylor-Berry neighborhood, resident Rebecca Wells-Gonzalez said the local Anti-Violence Coalition has transformed her community.

"I think a lot of this is work that's happening in the background, and you might not see it, but it really is happening, and it's affecting us and our feelings of just safety and security in our own backyards," she said.

The city’s new Community Safety Commission, which will oversee the Safe Louisville plan and local compliance with the city’s federal consent decree, will hold its first public meeting Oct. 14 at the Main Library downtown.

Read the full "Safer Louisville"report from the Office of Violence Prevention to learn more.

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