Through 2030, Mayor Craig Greenberg’s new public safety program, Safe Louisville, seeks to lower violent crime in the city by 15% annually. But while municipal officials praise the plan as a holistic, collaborative strategy, local groups are raising doubts about how much of that engagement genuinely focuses on the areas most hit by violence.
The strategy, launched April 16, is designed around three pillars — prevention, intervention, and enforcement — and involves investments in youth programming, public infrastructure, job development, trauma therapy, and policing support. Misty Wright, Executive Director of Community Safety, will supervise it; a new Community Safety Commission will publicly monitor and provide comments.
“Public safety is my top priority, and my Safe Louisville plan has all city departments, federal partners, state agencies and community organizations working together to continue reducing violent crime,” said Mayor Greenberg. “My team and I are insisting on fundamental, lasting changes because every member of our community should be safe and feel safe in their neighborhood and every Louisville neighborhood.”
But other community leaders argue the measures in the plan fall short if the city doesn’t go further in supporting grassroots voices—not just as participants, but as decision-makers.
“These are not tools.”
When asked about the plan’s emphasis on community spaces, youth programming, and job creation, Dr. Judith Jennings pushed back on the terminology and approach.
“Both of these are absolutely essential, but they are not ‘tools,’” she said. “Creating safe spaces for youth and job opportunities are the only ways to shift the current toxic culture of violence. Youth and community members must be paid leaders in designing jobs and safe spaces that meet their needs and aspirations.”
Jennings underlined that community leadership has to be at the core and supported in real terms to make sure that concurrent police spending does not compromise efforts at prevention.
“The Metro Government Budget must significantly invest in community leadership,” she said.
On data-driven policing: “Who has power?”
The Safe Louisville plan includes support for “data-responsive policing,” a concept that city officials claim will help LMPD better target its resources. Jennings, however, had doubts about what data-driven crime reduction really entails in terms of application.
“Data-driven policing is too often another word for surveillance and has already caused great harm in our city and many others,” she said. “Data is driven by who has power over collecting the data and how it is used. Best practices in ‘Humane Data’ takes power into account and recognized how place and culture affects data and the humanity and access to power of the people offering and using the data. The paid community leaders are the best people to create data-responsive neighborhood safety.”
Real change — or more of the same?
The proposal calls for boosting trauma and reentry programs as well as intervention techniques targeted at stopping possible shooters. Inquired whether that represents a departure from harsh law enforcement, Jennings answered carefully.
“I believe there are one or more of the programs currently and/or historically. Community leaders should be consulted to assess the success of these programs. Do community experience more safe?”
To Jennings, any successful crime-reducing plan must be developed from the community up, not imposed from above.
“As you can see, all of these strategies are only 1/2 of the equation in improving public safety and creating a culture of health and well-being from the community level up,” Jennings said. “Community leaders must have power and payments for their important participation in any successful strategies.”
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Now reporting to Wright, the plan also places the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods as the newly renamed Office of Violence Prevention in another orientation. Not yet named is a permanent director.
“Safe Louisville is about saving lives and creating meaningful change,” said Wright. “It calls for all of us to step up to the plate, learn from each other, and work together. With government, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, and community members engaged, our future is bright. Together we can make the meaningful progress this city deserves.”
The Safe Louisville initiative is meant to complement the Crime Reduction Strategic initiative of the LMPD, which was unveiled earlier this year and calls for more assistance in high-crime neighborhoods.
“Collaboration is at the heart of progress,” said LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey. “Working alongside Mayor Greenberg and other Louisville leaders enhances our crime reduction strategy plan. We are already seeing positive changes from this united approach that fosters a safer, stronger community for everyone.”
Christopher 2X, Executive Director of 2X Game Changers, also voiced support for the broader vision: “The Future Healers Kiddos Medical Program is about advocating for safe and healthy kids, and so is Mayor Greenberg’s plan that we all are here today embracing for a better Louisville.”
More details on the Community Safety Commission, including meeting scheduling and membership standards, are planned in the coming weeks.
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This article appears in Apr 11-24, 2025.