LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — With the number of violent crimes on the rise in Lexington, Mayor Linda Gorton and Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers were joined by city officials to discuss the problem.
With the city on pace to set another record for annual homicides and nine more people recovering from gunshot wounds over the weekend, Mayor Gorton and Chief weathers held a joint news conference to clear the air about what's been going on and what needs to happen going forward.
There are programs in place to help reduce gun violence, like ONE Lexington, but without help from the community, those programs can only do so much.
The police department is currently short 86 officers, which makes patrolling known nuisance areas more difficult.
The job of policing itself has become less attractive to potential recruits over the years. Chief Weathers didn't hold back when pressed about all of the above.
"It's time to stop all this nonsense and realize that you've got a different community here, and start appreciating what your police do for you."
— Ricky Sayer (@RickyReports) September 13, 2022
Lexington Police Chief Weathers grew animated during a press conference this morning about recent violence.
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"Start appreciating what your police do for you," he said. "Start appreciating what your E-911 workers do for you. Start appreciating what your fire department does for you, and start appreciating what your corrections officers do for you. That's what we need when we say community involvement, we need you to be involved in public safety."
There’s frustration from Mayor Gorton's office as well. She rattled off numbers indicating the rise in crime and asked for help from the public and tips from those who know when something could happen before it becomes problematic.
