LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Lieutenant Craig Browning was named commander of the Louisville Metro Police Department's Traffic Unit, he turned his attention to a troubling trend he's seen on the city's roadways.
"A lot of people know our unit as the red Mustang that sits on the side of a certain interstate," he said, adding, "speeds have gone up, the number of fatalities have gone up."
The department has installed speed-monitoring radars in squad cars across all divisions, funded through a state grant. And now, police are back on the roads ticketing again.
"We're looking to expand our presence," Browning declared on Tuesday.
In the past year, LMPD brought forward 139 charges for serious or fatal injury accidents across Louisville.
On a mile-long stretch of Seventh Street, one of the most dangerous streets owned by Metro Louisville, 17 serious or fatal crashes happened in the course of five years.
In 2023, nearly one-in-four of the deadly crashes happened because of someone driving under the influence. Those numbers have improved in 2024, but only marginally.
"Currently, we have 19 for this year, to include six pedestrians. Last year at this time, we had 22 total fatalities," Browning said.
It's just a start for reversing the deadly trend. Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina Whethers, with an expert team of lawyers, joined the effort.
"The FAST team," she said, "is the Fatal Accident Support Team, a specifically trained group of dedicated prosecutors who specializes in these fatal crashes."
Before this announcement, major traffic cases circulated through a much larger pool of assistant Commonwealth's Attorneys.
Now, seven hold the responsibility. It's their job to collaborate with police early during investigations so they can build strong cases and expedite the legal process. The strategy mirrors an effort she deployed for violent crimes earlier in the year.
LMPD's goal for the year is a five-percent reduction in traffic fatalities.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.