Pegasus Institute

As we approach the end of the second month of the Great Pause, a clearer picture has emerged of violent crime during this period. Unfortunately, the situation for many in Louisville and across the Commonwealth is rather grim. Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Chief Steve Conrad recently testified before the Louisville Metro Council about the state of violent crime in Louisville during the first four months of 2020. His testimony was far from encouraging. Chief Conrad

Eight months ago, after meaningful drops in homicides and shootings in Louisville, we first examined the role that self-initiated policing might play in reducing that violence. Self-initiated police activity typically includes things like pedestrian checks, building checks, occupied and unoccupied vehicle checks, foot patrols, and problem solving. One study of a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department experiment found that hot spots that received self-initiated enforcement e

As cities like Baltimore and St. Louis continue to struggle with rising homicides and non-fatal shootings, the release of the LMPD UCR Report for January-June 2018 shows Louisville is making progress. Though numbers remain above historic averages, January-June 2018 has had the fewest homicides since 2015 and fewest shootings since 2014. Additionally, Louisville’s three most violent police divisions - the First, Second, and Fourth - have all seen significant decreases in homic

Louisville’s first football game last season was a dazzling performance by Lamar Jackson. I was lucky enough to be there in person. Sure, Charlotte was not a high quality opponent but it was clear that the young man in the pocket was doing something special. At halftime, Lamar had eight touchdowns. That’s right, eight. Over the course of the first half, the person next to me became a cheering partner. I was sitting in a section with several coaches wives and former players, b

In 2015, the US experienced a 3.9% increase in violent crime nation-wide, and while national data isn’t yet available for all of 2016, the FBI’s mid-year report indicates that violent crime was up 5.3% from the first half of 2015. According to a New York Magazine from a late last year, "The murder rate in the United States rose by 10 percent last year, while the total number of murders increased by nearly 11 percent — the highest single-year increase since 1971." In contrast,