LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — “Something as simple as removing a gun from your vehicle and locking it away, something as simple as that can save somebody's life,” said Police Chief Lawrence Weathers to a room of reporters on Wednesday.
Weathers and other community leaders came together for an announcement regarding the ATF, Bluegrass Crime Stoppers, and their joint effort to address stolen firearms.
Despite a decline in homicides from 2022 to 2023, gun violence remains a pressing issue for Lexington, and in many cases, those guns are stolen.
“Those stolen guns don't just simply disappear. They're often used in violent crimes,” said Weathers. “It's time to wake up and realize that.”
According to Lexington Police, 475 guns were reported stolen in 2023. 411 of those guns, 86%, were stolen from vehicles.
“That goes with what I've always said, public safety is the responsibility of everybody in the community,” said Weathers.
Taking a stand can be as simple as submitting a tip, according to Weathers.
The Bluegrass Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips, acting as a confidential conduit between law enforcement and the community.
Over the last three years, Bluegrass Crime Stoppers has received tips leading to over 189 arrests, 18 of which were related to homicides. Over that three-year period, Crime Stoppers also paid out more than $100,000 in rewards.
With a new partnership, the deal is even sweeter.
“What we're announcing today is the first ever partnership between a crime stopper organization and the ATF,” said Bluegerass Crime Stopper board chair David Ashford.
The ATF will match $10,000 of Crime Stopper payouts.
If someone submits a tip that leads to the seizure of an illegal gun, Crime Stoppers will reward them $1,000, which will be matched by $1,000 from the ATF.
Additionally, if the arrest yields more than one firearm, the tipster will receive a $500 bonus.
“When we recover a firearm, that gives us an enormous amount of information,” explained Special Agent Shawn Morrow with the Louisville Division of the ATF.
One tip can be the missing link in a string of crimes.
“Through ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, we can analyze firearms to see if it's been used in other violent crimes, perhaps been used in a robbery or discharged in other violent offenses across the area,” said Morrow.
You can submit an anonymous tip to the Bluegrass Crime Stoppers here. http://www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?P=index&ID=710
