LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With Louisville's mayoral election fewer than two months away, candidate Craig Greenberg (D) added a proposed policy to his 'All In' public safety plan to address record gun violence in the Metro.
On Wednesday, Greenberg hosted a news conference to announce his priorities if he were elected in November, penning it as the 'New Direction' Louisville needs.
Much of the action items were announced in January, including a checklist of initiatives he says will hold himself and city government accountable. It includes the intent to fully staff a 'community-oriented' police force.
Now, Greenberg is also putting heavy focus on cracking down on illegal guns.
He proposed a new concept where Louisville Metro Police (LMPD) would be required to disable confiscated guns -- which in many cases are stolen -- before sending them over to Kentucky State Police (KSP).
Kentucky law requires this change of hands once the weapons are no longer needed in a given investigation. Often times, KSP then sells them at auctions. Profits are used in large part to fund extra equipment at agencies across the state.
"Too often, these confiscated guns find their way back onto the streets where they are used again to commit crimes. This is absurd and dangerous," Greenberg said, also referencing the incident seven months prior when he was shot at multiple times in his campaign office.
"It's the right thing to do for our police who are working so hard to remove illegal guns from our streets, and it's the right thing for our entire city," he said.
Read Greenberg's full 'New Direction' action plan:
Meanwhile, Republican mayoral candidate and current Jeffersontown Mayor Bill Dieruf chose not to respond directly to Greenberg's proposal on stolen guns. Instead, in a statement, he cited reasons he believes Greenberg isn't fit for the position and lacks experience as an elected official.
This comes a day after Dieruf held a news conference of his own, pushing for the U.S. Department of Justice to release its investigative report into LMPD's "patterns and practices" and Metro Government before the election.
He also called for Mayor Greg Fischer and LMPD Chief Erika Shields to be transparent with the public on all updates they've received from the DOJ throughout the last 18 months.
"Just give us the findings you are aware of," Dieruf said Tuesday. "They have gone through crisis after crisis here, and nothing has changed."
A spokesperson for Mayor Greg Fischer's office told WHAS11 that they haven't seen the DOJ's report or any of the department's findings.
When also asked about the federal probe Wednesday, Greenberg said if a negotiated consent decree were the result, his administration would use it as a framework for reform.
"I think it's critical that we work with the DOJ to implement that plan," he said.
When asked, neither Dieruf nor Greenberg have indicated whether they'd retain Chief Shields as head of LMPD or appoint someone new. However, on Wednesday, Greenberg said he's "rooting for her success."
Dieruf continues to say if elected, he'd bring over Jeffersontown PD Chief Rick Sanders in some capacity. But as of being asked Tuesday, he hasn't said what that role could be.
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