LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Homicides have dropped recently in Louisville, giving Louisville Metro Police detectives more time to clear cases and make arrests.
Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said December is on pace to have the fewest number of homicides of any month in 2024.
Chief Humphrey delivered a year-end-review on Thursday with some improving crime stats. The drop in new homicides in November and December is having a ripple effect in the department. Overall arrests are down 16% in Louisville, but Humphrey reports the number of homicide arrests are up 12% in 2024.
“A lot of it has to do with a reduction in the frequency of homicides giving them the opportunity to focus on the cases that have already happened,” said Chief Humphrey.
“That shows the focus on the right people. Pulling those people who are committing violent crimes off the street,” Humphrey continued.
Year-to-date, there have been 139 homicides in Jefferson County. To date, LMPD has cleared 57 homicide investigations and just last week, the homicide unit cleared five cases and made six arrests.
“It started in November. It really has continued through December with more cases that those individual detectives, with their squad, are able to focus on solving those recent cases,” Lt. Les Skaggs said.
The department is also having more success in making arrests in non-fatal shootings. LMPD has made 78 such arrests in 2024.
“Since we started the non-fatal shooting squad and since their inception, our clearance rate for non-fatal shootings has gone up over 600%,” Chief Humphrey said.
While 2024 is on pace to have fewer homicides in Louisville, the number is far more than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We as people, just, we cannot be accepting that this is our new norm. It’s not OK that this number of homicides is our new norm and people need to speak up and be very vocal and involved about changing that,” Chief Humphrey said.
The chief also reports auto thefts are down 20% in 2024
Louisville Metro Police shares its crime data on its website.