LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police has decided to delay its new crossing guard staffing to give the affected schools and police jurisdictions more time to find replacements.
Citing budget cuts Wednesday, LMPD announced the new staffing, which removed LMPD officers from crossing guard duties at 12 Jefferson County public and private Catholic schools located in Anchorage, Jeffersontown, Shively and St. M The officers pulled from those schools would then serve at other schools in LMPD's jurisdiction, the department said.
The officers pulled from those schools would then serve at other schools in LMPD's jurisdiction, the department said Wednesday.
The new staffing prompted backlash from concerned parents and officials. Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf called the announcement "a total surprise."
"They did not even contact anybody to make sure that the kids' safety is not at risk," Dieruf said. "If you're going to allow somebody to take over, you should make sure the resources are there for the person to take over and the hand-off is a hand-off that is safe for the kids."
Jean Porter, director of communications for Mayor Greg Fischer's office released a statement Thursday saying, "It is extremely disappointing to see someone trying to politicize a difficult situation. The facts are these: Our increased state pension obligation and the lack of new revenue is forcing departments across Louisville Metro Government to find efficiencies and in some cases, make tough decisions."
Porter's statement went on to say that "LMPD began communicating this both to JCPS and the affected police departments weeks ago."
In Friday's statement, a police spokesperson said "discussions were not complete when news of the change broke," and, after talking with JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio, LMPD Chief Steve Conrad decided to extend the current staffing by nearly three months.
"I want to thank Chief Conrad for listening to my concerns and making adjustments to help protect our students,” Pollio said in news release. "This move ensures the safety of our students as we begin a new school year. It also gives us time to develop a new plan and work with other agencies to support our schools."
The schools affected by the new staffing are: Anchorage Elementary School, Carrithers Middle School, Cochrane Elementary School, Jeffersontown Elementary School, St. Edward School, Tully Elementary School, Butler High School, Schaffner Elementary School, Western High School, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Matthews Elementary School and Trinity High School.
Related Stories:
- Citing budget cuts, LMPD will no longer provide crossing guards to some Louisville schools
- LMPD decision to pull crossing guards from some schools causes concern
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