2021 Project Safe Neighborhoods Western District of Kentucky

Pursuant to Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky (USAO/WDKY) convened a Task Force to develop and implement a strategy to address violent crime, including gang activity, through coordinated enforcement, intervention, prevention, and reentry initiatives within the District.  The PSN Task Force consists of representatives from local, state, and federal law enforcement, and state probation/parole, and corrections as well as other stakeholders, including community-based organizations.  The USAO-WDKY’s PSN Strategy focuses on the small numbers of places and people that disproportionately drive violent crime in the District by increasing prosecution of the most violent offenders and focusing intervention efforts to prevent recidivism by juvenile and adult offenders. The USAO/WDKY faces unique challenges when it comes to comprehensively combating violent crime.  Violent crime has increased in the Louisville Metro area over the last several years, and this increase appears on pace to continue in 2021.  Our strategy consists of 1) a joint effort between the USAO WDKY, the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, the ATF, and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD). Agency participants identify defendants for federal prosecution who pose a continued threat to community safety, 2) a multi-agency, intelligence driven task force known as the Louisville Metro Intelligence Task Force (LMINTEL) and, 3) a place-based initiative, undertaken in partnership with the LMPD Place-Based Investigations Squad (PBIS).  As described above, the PSN district-wide strategy recognizes that the removal of violent and repeat offenders makes for safer neighborhoods.  The focus of violent crime reduction is primarily in Louisville, Jefferson County, which is the largest city and urban center of the district.  The USAO is working with federal, state, and local partners to reduce violent crime through, among others, the following initiatives: 1) Group Violence Intervention(GVI), 2) Shooting Review Meetings, 3) Collaboration with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, Monthly Training with the LMPD, ATF partners with LMPD’s Homicide; 4) Unit, Firearms Investigation Squad, Louisville Metro’s intel Unit (LMINTEL), and  Crime Information Center (CIC), 5) Collaboration between USAO, Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and DEA on overdose, and 6) FBI targeting violent crime through coordination with LMPD.