LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB NEWS) -- The leader of LMPD's Special Victims Unit faced tough questions about her department's handling of sexual assault investigations when she testified in front of Metro Council members Wednesday.

Lt. Shannon Lauder is the commander of the unit that oversees cases including sex crimes. She was called to testify in front of Metro Council's Public Safety Committee Wednesday afternoon.

The meeting was heated at times, as Lauder defended her department's work and alleged that a report by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting was "disingenuous" and "manipulated" statistics.

The report highlighted issues with how LMPD closes rape cases. The investigation found that out of 194 rape cases reported in 2017, LMPD closed nearly half of them "by exception."

Lauder told Metro Council that a case can by closed "by exception" under specific circumstances that include the prosecutor declining to file charges, a victim refusing to cooperate or or the perpetrator having died.

The KyCIR investigation showed 40% of 2017 rape cases were cleared "by exception" because a prosecutor declined to take the case.

"The statistics were manipulated and rattled off in a manner that gave a false perspective of what's really going on in Louisville," Lauder said. 

When presenting to council, Lauder said 131 cases were reported in 2017. That's a different number than what was reported in the KyCIR investigation, which makes the data difficult to compare. Lauder said she excluded crimes against children, but did not make it clear why. 

Lauder acknowledged that nearly half of all rape cases in 2017 were closed "by exception" and noted that's disproportionate to nearby, similar-sized cities such as Lexington, Indianapolis, and Nashville. 

"Our numbers were disproportionate we were closing more cases 'prosecution declined' than other departments ... we were," she said. 

Lauder said Louisville's conviction rates in 2017 were well above the national average of 2%. The KyCIR reported there were only four rape convictions that year, but Lauder said there were 10 felony sexual assault convictions.

"It is hurtful to me and it is hurtful to my detectives to be accused of not caring about victims," Lauder said.

Kate Howard, managing editor of the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, sent WDRB a statement in response to Lauder's testimony: 

"We are proud of and stand by our reporting, which has led LMPD to make several policy changes. Lt. Lauder cited statistics today that differ from the records LMPD provided to both us and the FBI; we will report on these statistics in the coming days."

During the meeting, Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith said the 2% national standard is a problem itself.

"That is totally unacceptable," she said. "So we need not only need to beat the national standard, we need to create an entire new standard right out of our community, because our community is better than this. LMPD can do better than this."

Lauder said LMPD has made some changes to how sexual assault cases are closed, noting "victim requests case closure" was added as a reason a case would be closed "by exception." Lauder said that change happened last year. 

More victims advocates have been hired to help victims through the trial process and beyond. Beat officers will also receive more sexual assault training over the next year. Officers will watch three training videos, and more sexual assault training will be added to training by 2021, Lauder said.

"I think that we can do better and I think that training is the best way I know how to do that," Lauder said.

Councilwoman Jessica Green, who called on Lauder to testify in response to the KyCIR investigation, said she believes some of the changes are a step in the right direction — but not enough.

"Hell no, I'm not satisfied," Green said. "I'm not going to be satisfied until every freaking perp is off the street and is locked away and is on the sex offender registry. But that's not something I think that can happen over night."

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