LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville's Metro Council is calling for an emergency resolution to be discussed at Thursday's council meeting regarding the investigation into the recent deaths at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections facility.
Council members approved hiring David Beyer to conduct their investigation into Metro Corrections. Since November, there have been seven deaths of those incarcerated at LMDC, the most recent being less than a week ago.
In early February, Metro Council passed a vote of no-confidence into leadership at the jail, which Council President David James said was an attempt to get Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's attention.
"No one else is investigating and it is our responsibility," James said. "We're asking the mayor to replace that leadership team as soon as possible. The mayor is yet to do that."
James said the resolution is a necessary step and believes Beyer is the one for the job.
"He's a former FBI agent and he helped us with the investigation of Ferdinand Risco and the problems there at TARC and did an outstanding job," James said.
James said Beyer's contract would pay up to $30,000 for the investigation.
However, community members said an investigation isn't necessary and that money could go towards better use.
"$30,000 would go a long way," Judi Jennings with the Louisville Justice Family Advocates, said. "Help staff, therapists, mental health staff - I think it's good, it's okay, but it's a misplaced priority."
Jennings and Chanelle Helm, an organizer with Black Lives Matter of Louisville, agree that one potential solution not being considered by the city is to reinstate citations for low-level crimes, rather than jail time.
"One of the people who died was a houseless person who was charged for trespassing on Fourth Street Live," Jennings said. "And he died in jail."
Helm said that because of work being done by the state, Kentucky's legislature has been "issuing what it looks like to remove bail and low-level offenses from ever even sitting in jail."
Although community members and council members agree something should be done, it comes down to how it should be gone about.
"This is a mental health and health emergency," Nance Cavalcante, from the 490 Project, said. "We've applied no resources to it really, of any measure."
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