Louisville Metro Police Department
Encyclopedia
The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county
government in Louisville, Kentucky
. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro Police Department is headed by Chief Robert C. White. LMPD divides Jefferson County into eight patrol divisions and operates a number of special investigative and support units.
is appointed by the Mayor of Louisville Metro and holds the rank
of Colonel. Robert C. White is the only Chief in the history of LMPD. Currently, Chief White's command staff consists of three Lieutenant Colonels (Administrative Bureau Commander, Patrol Bureau Commander, Support Bureau Commander), thirteen Majors, (Special Investigations Division Commander, Major Crimes Division Commander, Narcotics/Intelligence Division Commander, Administrative Division Commander, Training Division Commander and eight Patrol Division Commanders) and a civilian attorney serving as the Legal Advisor.
The Administrative Bureau Commander is responsible for the business affairs of the police department. Under him/her are information services, records management
, crime analysis
, human resources
, etc. The Patrol Bureau Commander oversees the eight patrol divisions.
The Support Bureau Commander directs special units for crime solving and other operations, such as the Crimes Against Children Section, Special Victims Unit, Robbery Unit, Crimes Against Property Unit, and others.
The Special Investigations Division Commander is over special (mostly internal) investigations units – the Public Integrity Unit and the Professional Standards Unit. The commander of the Training Division, a major, reports directly to the Administrative Bureau Commander.
and the apprehension of criminals. The first Sergeant was hired in that year, whose primary duty was to see that the trustees' wishes were carried out.
In 1830, after the city government switched to a mayor-council arrangement, the position of captain was replaced by an elected "Marshall." In 1851, the mayor was put directly over the police. In 1856, a mayor-appointed office of Chief of Police was created, a position that earned $2,000 a year. The next year, the police force was reorganized in the image of modern police departments in the East, with the watchmen being called "policemen."
Following the Civil War
, the Kentucky General Assembly
passed an act to reorganize the department. The police department was given county-wide jurisdiction. Unfortunately, there was much corruption, as the police department was appointed by the city council
. Thus the makeup of the police department depended heavily on the political affiliations of the council members.
Divisions and districting came into use shortly thereafter, with two divisions and several districts (the number depended on the time of day) being established.
In 1891, the department first purchased bicycles to serve with mounted police
. The practice of using bicycles would wane throughout the 20th century, but would see a revival in 1993 as they served as an effective alternative to motor vehicle
s. Three Cadillacs were purchased in November 1908 to address the problem of lawbreakers making getaways in the "horseless carriage
s." In 1932, the Louisville Police Department began using radios for dispatching units, only the fifth department in the nation to dispatch cars in this manner. Motorcycles were introduced shortly after the cars, but were discontinued in 1984 due to high maintenance costs.
Politics were part of the police department until 1929, when the state's Civil Service act prohibited discrimination on the basis of politics or religion. A Civil Service Board was established, consisting of three members of each political party with the mayor serving as a tiebreaker.
On May 20, 1921, Alice Dunlop became the first female officer in the Louisville Police Department, with Bertha Whedbee becoming the first African American
to be a police officer
in Louisville. While technically equal with their male counterparts, females were only employed in limited capacities. In 1938, the four policewomen of the Louisville Police Department were dismissed because it was thought that there were no duties which required a woman. A policewoman would next be appointed in 1943, with nine more being appointed in as many years. In 1969, Urania "Kitty" Laun became the department's first sergeant and later appointed lieutenant and the first female district commander.
Decentralization of the department began in 1974. Traffic and detective bureaus remained in the Headquarters Building at Seventh and Jefferson, while other units were placed at various districts.
In 1982, the Louisville Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance allowing the mayor to remove the chief of police for specific reasons. The law was later amended to provide the mayor with the ability to both appoint and remove the chief, following the demotion of Chief Richard Dotson by Mayor Jerry Abramson in 1990.
On March 2, 2002 Louisville Mayor David L. Armstrong
fired Police Chief Gene Sherrard due to a banquet honoring officers for exceptional valor. Two officers being honored for facing immediate danger were controversial as to what constituted immediate danger to these officers. The suspect in the case of these two officers, Desmond Rudolph, had left the house the officers went to through the back door and went to a stolen vehicle. Rudolph, who was unarmed, attempted to drive off, but there are conflicting statements as to if the car was operable or not. The view of the policemen involved was that the car was operable and, believing they may be struck by the vehicle, constituted a danger to their lives, while the opposing view is that the policemen did not follow proper police procedure by failing to secure the rear exit and that the car was inoperable and did not pose any danger to the officers. Rudolph was shot by the two officers 22 times and Rudolph died from his wounds. After the firing of the Chief of Police, many Louisville policemen marched in front of Louisville City Hall
to protest the firing of Sherrard and demanded the resignation of Mayor Armstrong.
.
Jefferson County's Special Weapons and Tactics
(SWAT) team was formed in 1971. In 1981, JCPD received authorization from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council to conduct annual in-service training. In 1999, it became certified to conduct its own police academy
. At the time of merger, JCPD was divided into four patrol districts: Adam, Baker, Charlie and David.
JCPD and LPD ceased to exist as separate entities on January 6, 2003, when the Louisville Metro Police Department became effective as part of the city-county merger.
had many causes (most directly, the spread of false rumors and bottles being thrown into the crowd) the crowd where the riot began had gathered to protest the possible reinstatement of a white officer who had been suspended for beating a black man some weeks earlier. As the crowd became unruly, police attempts to disperse it were ineffective, but this was a common problem police departments of the day had.
neighborhood. Newby, a 19-year-old black male in possession of drugs and a firearm, was shot by McKenzie Mattingly, a white police officer, in what authorities described as an undercover drug deal gone bad. After they struggled and Newby went for Mattingly's gun, Mattingly fired four times, hitting Newby three times in the back, killing him. An internal police investigation found that Mattingly did not face an "immediate threat", although Newby did have a .45-caliber gun in his waistband.
Mattingly was fired from the department and charged criminally, but acquitted of all charges in September 2004. The nature of the incident and trial sparked a number of protests and demonstrations by members of the community. The city eventually paid $250,000 to Newby’s mother to settle a lawsuit.
Lodge criticized the Mayor of Louisville in a 30-second video for his not providing adequate resources to LMPD. In the video, he also endorsed Mayor Abramson's Republican opponent in the 2006 Mayoral election. The video implied that the Mayor was causing officers to use an outdated and ineffective radio communications
system and that he had not hired enough police officers to ensure public safety
.
affiliate station reported in November 2006 that an anonymous employee of the Louisville Metro Police Department revealed to them that the department knew of at least 69 different gang "sets" with an estimated 2,000 members in Louisville. The confidential data was part of a database kept by the Gang Intelligence Unit in 2003, prior to it being disbanded. Two months prior to the revelation of this information, a spokesman for the LMPD denied that Louisville had a significant problem with "traditional gangs." The television station interviewed a local gang member who claimed that several parts of the city are considered to be gang-controlled territories. The story was aired after several widely reported incidents of alleged gang-related assaults had occurred in the city.
departments, there were six "city" districts (patrolled by LPD) and four "county" districts (patrolled by JCPD). The city districts were identified numerically, while the county districts were labeled using a phonetic alphabet: Adam, Baker, Charlie, David. On October 10, 2004, Jefferson County was divided into eight patrol divisions, each headed by an officer holding the rank of Major. The first, second, fourth and fifth divisions roughly comprise the former jurisdiction of the city police department, while the third, sixth, seventh and eighth divisions make up the area formerly patrolled by the county police department. It is common for longtime police officers to refer to a division by the name that area held before merger (e.g., the old fourth district), just as they will sometimes refer to a police officer as being "county" or "city" if they served before merger.
Even after the city-county merger became effective in 2003, Louisville Metro Police did not become the sole law enforcement agency
in the county. Other than the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), the incorporated cities remaining intact after merger maintain their own police with jurisdiction within those cities. Most notable of these are the Jeffersontown
, Shively
and St. Matthews
Police Departments. LMPD patrol units do not typically respond to calls for service inside these departments' jurisdictions, and vice versa. Certain LMPD divisions and specialized units provide assistance to these police agencies when necessary.
into one joint emergency management
unit (Joint EMU). Additionally, MetroSafe has incorporated a Motorola MotoBridge into the system, facilitating communications between different agencies (such as Shively
and Jeffersontown
Police Departments) with different communications capabilities.
The radio alphabet in use in LMPD is the same one used by the American Radio Relay League
, circa 1948, consisting mostly of first names (note: the ARRL currently endorses use of the NATO phonetic alphabet
). The alphabet is as follows: Adam, Baker, Charlie, David, Edward, Frank, George, Henry, Ida, John, king, Lincoln, Mary, Nora, Ocean, Paul, queen, Robert, Sam, Tom, union, Victor, William, x-ray, young, zebra. Until recently, "10-codes" were in common use for radio communications (e.g., "10-23" to indicate arrival on location or "10-86" to indicate situation under control). However, with the National Incident Management System
going into effect, encouraging the use of "clear text" to avoid possible miscommunication between agencies using a common radio frequency
or working jointly on an incident, the use of 10-codes
is being phased out. LMPD has officially ceased using 10-codes as of October 2007, following a SOP update, however the use of 10-codes by both officers and dispatchers remains common practice.
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
government in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro Police Department is headed by Chief Robert C. White. LMPD divides Jefferson County into eight patrol divisions and operates a number of special investigative and support units.
Organizational structure
The Chief of PoliceChief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
is appointed by the Mayor of Louisville Metro and holds the rank
Police rank
- Australia :Generally, all police forces of Australia follow this rank structure with some individual state police forces have ranks differing slightly.Insignia of rank displayed on epaulette in italics and brackets...
of Colonel. Robert C. White is the only Chief in the history of LMPD. Currently, Chief White's command staff consists of three Lieutenant Colonels (Administrative Bureau Commander, Patrol Bureau Commander, Support Bureau Commander), thirteen Majors, (Special Investigations Division Commander, Major Crimes Division Commander, Narcotics/Intelligence Division Commander, Administrative Division Commander, Training Division Commander and eight Patrol Division Commanders) and a civilian attorney serving as the Legal Advisor.
The Administrative Bureau Commander is responsible for the business affairs of the police department. Under him/her are information services, records management
Records Management
Records management, or RM, is the practice of maintaining the records of an organization from the time they are created up to their eventual disposal...
, crime analysis
Crime analysis
Crime analysis is a law enforcement function that involves systematic analysis for identifying and analyzing patterns and trends in [crime] and disorder. Information on patterns can help law enforcement agencies deploy resources in a more effective manner, and assist detectives in identifying and...
, human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
, etc. The Patrol Bureau Commander oversees the eight patrol divisions.
The Support Bureau Commander directs special units for crime solving and other operations, such as the Crimes Against Children Section, Special Victims Unit, Robbery Unit, Crimes Against Property Unit, and others.
The Special Investigations Division Commander is over special (mostly internal) investigations units – the Public Integrity Unit and the Professional Standards Unit. The commander of the Training Division, a major, reports directly to the Administrative Bureau Commander.
Rank Structure and Insignia
The rank structure of LMPD is as follows:| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief of Police Chief of police A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable... |
 |
| Deputy Chief Colonel Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures... |
 |
| Assistant Chief Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence... |
 |
| Division Commander/Major Major Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ... |
 |
| Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
 |
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
 |
| Detective Detective A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"... |
 |
| Police Officer Patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :... |
|
History
While the Louisville Metro Police Department began in 2003, its origins lie in two police departments dating back to the 1800s, the Jefferson County Police Department (JCPD) and the Louisville Division of Police (LPD).Louisville Police Department
The Louisville Police Department, also known as the Louisville Division of Police, came into existence in 1806 with the appointment of five "watchmen" by the town's trustees. In 1821, a captain of the watch was appointed, directly responsible for crime preventionCrime prevention
Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...
and the apprehension of criminals. The first Sergeant was hired in that year, whose primary duty was to see that the trustees' wishes were carried out.
In 1830, after the city government switched to a mayor-council arrangement, the position of captain was replaced by an elected "Marshall." In 1851, the mayor was put directly over the police. In 1856, a mayor-appointed office of Chief of Police was created, a position that earned $2,000 a year. The next year, the police force was reorganized in the image of modern police departments in the East, with the watchmen being called "policemen."
Following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
passed an act to reorganize the department. The police department was given county-wide jurisdiction. Unfortunately, there was much corruption, as the police department was appointed by the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. Thus the makeup of the police department depended heavily on the political affiliations of the council members.
Divisions and districting came into use shortly thereafter, with two divisions and several districts (the number depended on the time of day) being established.
In 1891, the department first purchased bicycles to serve with mounted police
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...
. The practice of using bicycles would wane throughout the 20th century, but would see a revival in 1993 as they served as an effective alternative to motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s. Three Cadillacs were purchased in November 1908 to address the problem of lawbreakers making getaways in the "horseless carriage
Brass Era car
The automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such things as lights and radiators. It extends from the first commercial automobiles marketed in the 1890s until about World War I...
s." In 1932, the Louisville Police Department began using radios for dispatching units, only the fifth department in the nation to dispatch cars in this manner. Motorcycles were introduced shortly after the cars, but were discontinued in 1984 due to high maintenance costs.
Politics were part of the police department until 1929, when the state's Civil Service act prohibited discrimination on the basis of politics or religion. A Civil Service Board was established, consisting of three members of each political party with the mayor serving as a tiebreaker.
On May 20, 1921, Alice Dunlop became the first female officer in the Louisville Police Department, with Bertha Whedbee becoming the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to be a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
in Louisville. While technically equal with their male counterparts, females were only employed in limited capacities. In 1938, the four policewomen of the Louisville Police Department were dismissed because it was thought that there were no duties which required a woman. A policewoman would next be appointed in 1943, with nine more being appointed in as many years. In 1969, Urania "Kitty" Laun became the department's first sergeant and later appointed lieutenant and the first female district commander.
Decentralization of the department began in 1974. Traffic and detective bureaus remained in the Headquarters Building at Seventh and Jefferson, while other units were placed at various districts.
In 1982, the Louisville Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance allowing the mayor to remove the chief of police for specific reasons. The law was later amended to provide the mayor with the ability to both appoint and remove the chief, following the demotion of Chief Richard Dotson by Mayor Jerry Abramson in 1990.
On March 2, 2002 Louisville Mayor David L. Armstrong
David L. Armstrong
David L. Armstrong was mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1999 to 2003.Armstrong was born in Hope, Arkansas. Prior to becoming mayor, he had served as Jefferson County Judge/Executive since 1989. He was raised in Madison, Indiana...
fired Police Chief Gene Sherrard due to a banquet honoring officers for exceptional valor. Two officers being honored for facing immediate danger were controversial as to what constituted immediate danger to these officers. The suspect in the case of these two officers, Desmond Rudolph, had left the house the officers went to through the back door and went to a stolen vehicle. Rudolph, who was unarmed, attempted to drive off, but there are conflicting statements as to if the car was operable or not. The view of the policemen involved was that the car was operable and, believing they may be struck by the vehicle, constituted a danger to their lives, while the opposing view is that the policemen did not follow proper police procedure by failing to secure the rear exit and that the car was inoperable and did not pose any danger to the officers. Rudolph was shot by the two officers 22 times and Rudolph died from his wounds. After the firing of the Chief of Police, many Louisville policemen marched in front of Louisville City Hall
Louisville City Hall
Louisville City Hall is a building in Louisville, Kentucky. Completed in 1873 to house the Louisville city government, the structure is located at 601 West Jefferson Street in what became Downtown Louisville, the center of the city's civic district...
to protest the firing of Sherrard and demanded the resignation of Mayor Armstrong.
Jefferson County Police Department
The Jefferson County Police Department was established in February 1868. In 1902, police officers providing their own horses were compensated an extra $10 each month. Two years later, this practice ceased with a wage increase from $40 to $60 monthly for officers. The first chief of police to be granted use of a county car was Harry Kendall in 1918. Following a letter from Chief Ambrose Hagerman noting that there were no river deaths in 1932 due to the introduction of rowboats, the county approved the purchase of a motor boatMotorboat
A motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
.
Jefferson County's Special Weapons and Tactics
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
(SWAT) team was formed in 1971. In 1981, JCPD received authorization from the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council to conduct annual in-service training. In 1999, it became certified to conduct its own police academy
Police academy
A police academy is a training school for new police recruits, also known as a law enforcement academy.-Australia:Larger police departments usually run their own academies. States often run a centralised academy for training of personnel of law enforcement agencies within the state.Police...
. At the time of merger, JCPD was divided into four patrol districts: Adam, Baker, Charlie and David.
Merger
During the 1990s, certain specialized elements of the county and city police departments began joint operations. Most notable were the photo and fingerprint labs, the narcotics bureaus and the crimes against children departments. The purpose of this merger was to provide more efficient and cost-effective service.JCPD and LPD ceased to exist as separate entities on January 6, 2003, when the Louisville Metro Police Department became effective as part of the city-county merger.
1968 riots
While the Louisville riots of 1968Louisville riots of 1968
The Louisville riots of 1968 refers to riots in Louisville, Kentucky in May 1968. As in many other cities around the country, there were unrest and riots partially in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. On May 27, 1968, a group of 400 people, mostly blacks, gathered at...
had many causes (most directly, the spread of false rumors and bottles being thrown into the crowd) the crowd where the riot began had gathered to protest the possible reinstatement of a white officer who had been suspended for beating a black man some weeks earlier. As the crowd became unruly, police attempts to disperse it were ineffective, but this was a common problem police departments of the day had.
Newby shooting
One of the first and most widely covered controversies faced by the post-merger department was the shooting of Michael Newby on January 3, 2004 in the predominantly black ShawneeShawnee, Louisville
Shawnee is a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Its boundaries are I-264, West Broadway and Northwestern Parkway . Maps sometimes identify the area as Shawneeland....
neighborhood. Newby, a 19-year-old black male in possession of drugs and a firearm, was shot by McKenzie Mattingly, a white police officer, in what authorities described as an undercover drug deal gone bad. After they struggled and Newby went for Mattingly's gun, Mattingly fired four times, hitting Newby three times in the back, killing him. An internal police investigation found that Mattingly did not face an "immediate threat", although Newby did have a .45-caliber gun in his waistband.
Mattingly was fired from the department and charged criminally, but acquitted of all charges in September 2004. The nature of the incident and trial sparked a number of protests and demonstrations by members of the community. The city eventually paid $250,000 to Newby’s mother to settle a lawsuit.
Fraternal Order of Police criticism of Mayor Jerry Abramson
On November 6, 2006, the President of the LMPD officers' Fraternal Order of PoliceFraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
Lodge criticized the Mayor of Louisville in a 30-second video for his not providing adequate resources to LMPD. In the video, he also endorsed Mayor Abramson's Republican opponent in the 2006 Mayoral election. The video implied that the Mayor was causing officers to use an outdated and ineffective radio communications
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
system and that he had not hired enough police officers to ensure public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
.
Gang-related violence in Louisville
A Louisville-based CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate station reported in November 2006 that an anonymous employee of the Louisville Metro Police Department revealed to them that the department knew of at least 69 different gang "sets" with an estimated 2,000 members in Louisville. The confidential data was part of a database kept by the Gang Intelligence Unit in 2003, prior to it being disbanded. Two months prior to the revelation of this information, a spokesman for the LMPD denied that Louisville had a significant problem with "traditional gangs." The television station interviewed a local gang member who claimed that several parts of the city are considered to be gang-controlled territories. The story was aired after several widely reported incidents of alleged gang-related assaults had occurred in the city.
Patrol and interdepartmental issues
Before the merger of the city and county policeCounty police
County police are the police of a county in the United States, Sweden and England .- Sweden :All of the 21 Counties of Sweden contains a County Police Department of the Swedish Police Service.-United Kingdom:...
departments, there were six "city" districts (patrolled by LPD) and four "county" districts (patrolled by JCPD). The city districts were identified numerically, while the county districts were labeled using a phonetic alphabet: Adam, Baker, Charlie, David. On October 10, 2004, Jefferson County was divided into eight patrol divisions, each headed by an officer holding the rank of Major. The first, second, fourth and fifth divisions roughly comprise the former jurisdiction of the city police department, while the third, sixth, seventh and eighth divisions make up the area formerly patrolled by the county police department. It is common for longtime police officers to refer to a division by the name that area held before merger (e.g., the old fourth district), just as they will sometimes refer to a police officer as being "county" or "city" if they served before merger.
Even after the city-county merger became effective in 2003, Louisville Metro Police did not become the sole law enforcement agency
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
in the county. Other than the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), the incorporated cities remaining intact after merger maintain their own police with jurisdiction within those cities. Most notable of these are the Jeffersontown
Jeffersontown, Kentucky
Jeffersontown is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. Before Louisville and Jefferson County were consolidated in 2003, it was the county's largest city outside of Louisville. The population was 26,633 at the 2000 census.- History :...
, Shively
Shively, Kentucky
Shively is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 15,157 at the 2000 census. It is located southwest of Louisville, Kentucky and directly adjoins the larger city. Shively is centered around the junction of US 60 and the Dixie Highway.-History:Shively was first...
and St. Matthews
St. Matthews, Kentucky
St. Matthews is the 20th largest city in Kentucky, United States and is a prominent suburb of Louisville. It is located 8 miles east of downtown Louisville in Jefferson County. It is one of the state's major shopping areas, being home to second and fifth largest malls in Kentucky St. Matthews is...
Police Departments. LMPD patrol units do not typically respond to calls for service inside these departments' jurisdictions, and vice versa. Certain LMPD divisions and specialized units provide assistance to these police agencies when necessary.
Communications
Louisville Metro Police communicates using radios on both VHF and UHF frequencies, a carryover from the communications systems of LPD and JCPD. A recent city-wide initiative in coordinated operations is MetroSafe, which has combined the radio dispatch capabilities of police, fire and EMSLouisville Metro EMS
Louisville Metro Emergency Medical Services is the primary provider of pre-hospital life support and emergency care within Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky. LMEMS is a governmental department, separate from, but equal to, the police and fire services...
into one joint emergency management
Emergency management
Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
unit (Joint EMU). Additionally, MetroSafe has incorporated a Motorola MotoBridge into the system, facilitating communications between different agencies (such as Shively
Shively, Kentucky
Shively is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 15,157 at the 2000 census. It is located southwest of Louisville, Kentucky and directly adjoins the larger city. Shively is centered around the junction of US 60 and the Dixie Highway.-History:Shively was first...
and Jeffersontown
Jeffersontown, Kentucky
Jeffersontown is a city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. Before Louisville and Jefferson County were consolidated in 2003, it was the county's largest city outside of Louisville. The population was 26,633 at the 2000 census.- History :...
Police Departments) with different communications capabilities.
The radio alphabet in use in LMPD is the same one used by the American Radio Relay League
American Radio Relay League
The American Radio Relay League is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the USA. ARRL is a non-profit organization, and was founded in May 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim of Hartford, Connecticut...
, circa 1948, consisting mostly of first names (note: the ARRL currently endorses use of the NATO phonetic alphabet
NATO phonetic alphabet
The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the NATO spelling alphabet and also called the ICAO phonetic or spelling alphabet, the ITU phonetic alphabet, and the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, is the most widely used spelling alphabet...
). The alphabet is as follows: Adam, Baker, Charlie, David, Edward, Frank, George, Henry, Ida, John, king, Lincoln, Mary, Nora, Ocean, Paul, queen, Robert, Sam, Tom, union, Victor, William, x-ray, young, zebra. Until recently, "10-codes" were in common use for radio communications (e.g., "10-23" to indicate arrival on location or "10-86" to indicate situation under control). However, with the National Incident Management System
National Incident Management System
The National Incident Management System is emergency management doctrine used nationwide to coordinate emergency preparedness and incident management and response among the public and private sectors.NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all...
going into effect, encouraging the use of "clear text" to avoid possible miscommunication between agencies using a common radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
or working jointly on an incident, the use of 10-codes
Ten-code
Ten-codes, also known as ten signals, are code words used to represent common phrases in voice communication, particularly by law enforcement and in Citizens' Band radio transmissions....
is being phased out. LMPD has officially ceased using 10-codes as of October 2007, following a SOP update, however the use of 10-codes by both officers and dispatchers remains common practice.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Kentucky
- Louisville Division of FireLouisville Division of FireThe Louisville Division of Fire, commonly known as Louisville Fire Department or Louisville Fire & Rescue , is the sole fire suppression agency for the former city of Louisville, Kentucky and comprises one of 19 fire departments within Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky.The Louisville Fire...
- Louisville Metro EMSLouisville Metro EMSLouisville Metro Emergency Medical Services is the primary provider of pre-hospital life support and emergency care within Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky. LMEMS is a governmental department, separate from, but equal to, the police and fire services...
External links
- LouisvilleScanMan Scanner information site
- Louisville Metro Police Department Website
- LMPD Live Scanner Feeds
- Louisville Fire & Rescue Pipes and Drums
- Metro Mapper - Crime Lab — A comprehensive map of crimes reported in Louisville