LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The landscape of Louisville's gang problem has changed in recent years, leading authorities to seek out new ways to address the issue.
That's according to LMPD interim Chief Paul Humphrey. It's one of many topics he addressed in a sit-down interview with WHAS11 this week.
"The problems of gangs in the past changed because we figured it out," he said. "We did a good job of making sure that we were putting people in jail and making it fiscally not beneficial for people to remain in gangs the way that they were. So, they changed their model -- so that's what we're doing."
In recent months, Mayor Craig Greenberg has talked about gang activity being one of the primary drivers of violent crime in Louisville.
It's a stark shift from the approach of previous administrations, who steered clear of mentioning "gang" in most instances.
"We have a gang problem in Louisville that is different from the gang problem that we all grew up understanding. It's no longer this red and blue problem," Humphrey said to a committee of Kentucky lawmakers in Frankfort back on June 18.
Humphrey said nowadays, police are seeing "numerous" gangs that are much smaller, with members now having multiple affiliations. "They go in and out of those groups very easily," he told lawmakers.
Humphrey said the battle is to stay ahead, saying authorities need to get creative on how they prosecute and what tools they can use to do it effectively in today's environment.
"As crime changes, we have to come up with new strategies and tactics to approach that," he said.
Meanwhile, WHAS11 also talked to a community leader who's been working to break the cycle that continues to hurt families and youth.
Through his nonprofit New Day Ministries, Tod Moore's mission is to eliminate the 'generational curse' for underserved kids, including many who grow up in the city's west end.
Moore was one of them. His childhood was saturated by drugs and gang violence, eventually leading to prison time.
"I myself went away for 26 and a half years, never knowing if I was ever going to come home," Moore told us.
Moore was pardoned and has dedicated his life to making sure kids don't fall down the same path. He showed us through the summer camp hosted by his nonprofit at First Congregational Methodist Church. More than three dozen kids were there Wednesday.
"This is what being proactive is all about right here. Changing lives, giving them a future, and showing them how to overcome," Moore said.
The key, Moore said, is early intervention and education.
"Give them choice and give them options not to have one foot in the graveyard and one foot in the prison yard," he said.
He noted "gang life" has changed a lot since he was younger.
"Now, there are so many. You can't even count. They're looking for some place to call home, to receive some love because nobody's loving them. Everybody's just walking away from them, even in schools today," Moore said. "We have to rebuild, retool, and show them how to overcome."
Moore said preventative solutions start young for kids, in classrooms. He hopes to have conversations with Humphrey and others in LMPD in the future to increase engagement within the community.
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