LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Seeing a brown Ford Explorer from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is a familiar sight. And with almost certainty, drivers knew one of those distinct brown cruisers wasn't going to pull them over for speeding.
But what about the new black cars? They absolutely will.
"We've had some close calls," said David Beyer of the Lake Forest Community Association. "And one of the things that we try to do here in Lake Forest is maintain a very safe community."
Lake Forest has the signs—including electronic radar detection warnings—and plenty of kids on bikes.
"Our newsletter always reminded people to watch for kids," Beyer said.
Yet, there are still drivers who ignore all of the safety warnings.
"We've had residents complain about the speed that some people drive through here," Beyer noted.
With complaints rising, the next step was calling the police. Beyer, a retired supervisory special agent with the FBI, knew exactly who to contact—and his success is a blueprint other neighborhoods can follow.
"I reached out to [Sheriff] David James on a Friday," Beyer said. "I said, 'David, we have these issues here in Lake Forest, particularly with speeders and reckless driving.'"
The response was immediate.
"That was a Friday," Beyer said. "Monday morning, 8:00, there were three deputies here in Lake Forest. And immediately we started to receive calls from our residents thanking us for having them out here."
The quick response is part of a larger push by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), which reignited its dedicated traffic enforcement division late last year.
"One of the things we looked at was speed infractions in residential neighborhoods, school zones, and areas where there have been fatalities," said JCSO spokesperson Healey. "Not so much focusing on the expressways, but in neighborhoods where people live, where your kids are at bus stops, and where you're walking your dogs."
The traffic ticket-writing squad at JCSO got into full swing in April, and business has been booming. Since then, deputies have written 1,500 citations and issued more than 600 warnings to drivers to slow down—or face a ticket next time.
The ramped-up presence is already making a difference.
"The speeds dropped significantly," Healey said.
So, how can you get these patrols in your area? If you have that one neighbor who is always calling city hall about speeders, it turns out the city is actually answering the phone. JCSO doesn't choose its patrol areas at random; the agency relies on community input.
"It's been received well," Healey said. "And we don't just decide where we're going. We work hand-in-hand with Metro Council members, who work hand-in-hand with their constituents."
If you want speeders slowed down in your neighborhood, the best first step is to call your Metro Council representative.Â
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