LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- We all have Christmas traditions, including Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. One of them is sitting down with WDRB to talk about the year that was.

Much like the years that proceeded it, 2019 was deadly.

"Overall crime is down about 1 1/2%," said Fischer. "Violent crime is up about 11%."

Mayor Fischer said he worries about an alarming trend, too: Homicide victims and suspects are a lot younger than they have been. He said the problem sits on everyone's shoulders, not just the police department's.

Fischer said families need to talk to their kids.

"To be a man doesn't mean that you pull out a gun and shoot somebody," said Fischer.

A problem that did sit squarely on the shoulders of LMPD in 2019 was its pullover policy.

The 2018 traffic stop of Tae-Ahn Lea led to big changes and new training this year. The black teen was pulled over for making a wide turn. His car was searched, and officers found nothing. A lawsuit claimed that the officers tailed Lea because he was a black teenager driving a nice car — and no other reason. 

"LMPD has 500 thousand interactions with the public every year, the goal is to have each one of them perfect," said Fischer.

Fischer isn't ready to call the new traffic stop policy, that doesn't allow criminal history or location to be factors, perfect.

"I think the community sees it as a better policy," said Fischer. "So we'll just be analyzing the results here over the next year, and see where we go."

A lot remains to be seen with next year's budget, too, after a bruising battle this year.

"The easiest thing that Frankfort could do for Louisville is to allow us to levy a restaurant tax up to 3%," said Fischer.

There were quite a few highlights in Louisville, too. The city is going through a renaissance. More than $1 billion was invested in West Louisville.

"There's a lot of really interesting things going on, with a focus on the Russell neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods," said Fischer.

There's already a new YMCA. A new Beecher Terrace and the Urban League's track and field facility are coming.

Fischer also touted a focus being placed on software training to keep Louisville competitive in the job market, and investments in Ford and UPS.

"The key is to flourish today, but prepare us for the future as well," said Fischer.

It's what he said the Derby City will continue to do in 2020.

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