Louisville's public service chief reminds protesters that reckless actions won't be tolerated

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Amy Hess, Louisville's chief of public services, reminded residents Saturday that reckless and unsafe driving by protesters won't be tolerated by the city.

A day after reporting several instances of reckless driving -- including one incident where a woman and her 5-year-old son were injured when they fell from a moving vehicle -- Hess said LMPD officers are working to make sure mobile caravans do not follow protesters on foot.

During a briefing on June 13, Hess said LMPD officers did not interfere with protesters that were walking, but blocked vehicles from following behind them. Although some protesters were frustrated by these actions, Hess says they were necessary to keep people safe. She says the stepped up patrols and enforcement will continue.

Hess noted that even as people protest against them, LMPD officers continue to respond to violent crimes, including a fatal shooting early Saturday morning. Another person was shot overnight, but survived. Hess says both shootings were unrelated to the demonstrations.

"We must find a way to work together all of us, to address that violent crime, and ensure that every person in this city has equal opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams," Hess said.

Messages and images on social media showing officers engaging with protesters prove that the community and police can come together, Hess said.

According to Hess, local police along with the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco, are still trying to find who was responsible for two significant explosions Thursday night near the waterfront. One was reported on Witherspoon, and another was reported on Preston, a few blocks away. One of the explosions left a sizable crater in the ground.

Hess said LMPD has been instructed to give protesters a lot of leeway to express their views, and that means no one has been required to have a permit to protest. "So right now is not the time to fall back on whether or not someone has a permit, but rather to consider what they're saying, and allow them to say it," she said.

Hess also said protesters need to remember that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and reminded them to wear face masks. She noted that Louisville has 3,120 confirmed cases as of Saturday. "And sadly, we've lost 202 people," she said.

Hess started the briefing by recognizing her predecessor, Doug Hamilton, who died unexpectedly early Saturday morning, after nearly 50 years of public service. He was 69.