LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Mayor Craig Greenberg and LMPD Interim Chief Jacqueline Gwinn-Villaroel announced Wednesday the creation of a designated unit to investigate and solve violent crimes in the city.
Louisville's new Non-Fatal Shooting Squad (NFSS) is dedicated to the hundreds of shootings each year that don’t lead to death. Doctors and families have made it clear that just because those people survive, it doesn’t mean their lives aren’t altered forever.
According to a news release, the NFSS is commanded by Lt. Stephen Lacefield and consists of two sergeants and 16 detectives. The squad will work directly with two agents from the Louisville Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The detectives aren't new employees, rather officers who were already working non-deadly cases in each of LMPD's eight divisions combined into one team.
"LMPD's new Non-Fatal Shooting Squad is exactly the kind of resource we need to help keep our community safe; they will have the training and resources to investigate and solve crime and get people off the streets who are solving their problems with firearms," Greenberg said.
The release states that investigators with the NFSS were required to attend 40 hours of "specialized training" with the International Homicide Investigators Association (IHIA). Some of the training courses included crime scene investigation, evidence processing, suspect development/elimination, and interview/interrogation.
In addition, officials said the officers attended 40 hours of instruction through LMPD's Criminal Investigations Course where officers were tested and critiqued at the end.
"I want this community to know that we're working to make every corner of Louisville a safer place, and the professionals of the NFSS will go a long way in making that happen," said Gwinn-Villaroel, who decided to pursue the concept not long after she was sworn in in January. "I had experience with this before in my law enforcement career in a previous department I was with, so I know the value in creating this particular unit, and I'm hoping to see some great results from this creation."
Since 2020, LMPD has started to phase out the practice of having homicide detectives investigate non-deadly shootings. Now, they're going a step further by creating a designated unit for every one of those investigations.
Lacefield said Metro Police have investigated 201 non-fatal shootings so far in 2023, a slight increase from this time last year (192).
Gwinn-Villaroel believes the move will have a substantial impact on arresting the primary drivers of Louisville's murders.
The unit has been active for a month, and they've worked about 40 cases in that time — clearing six of them and making nine arrests, with more pending.
Greenberg also announced that he’s investing $37,000 of remaining inaugural funds to Kentuckiana Crime Stoppers – a nonprofit that gives people another avenue to report crimes or suspicious activities.
"Crime Stoppers is an amazing organization that offers residents an anonymous and helpful way to keep their community safe," Greenberg said.
Since the organizations' founding, officials said Kentuckiana Crime Stoppers has helped solve more than 11,000 felony cases and get more than $10 million of drugs off the streets.
The Kentuckiana Crime Stoppers number, 502-582-2583 (582-CLUE), accepts anonymous community tips 24/7.
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