574-LMPD
In 2004 the Louisville Metro Area was plagued with a rash of homicides. Chief White saw three numbers given for the public to call if they had any information on the murders and when he called the numbers the chief got three answering machines. Chief White next came up with the idea to start a 24 hour tip line, a telephone number that residents could call at any time with crime tip information that could be forwarded immediately to police officers and detectives. The decision was made to have police employees staff the line 24 hours a day, seven days a week and for calls to the line to be completely anonymous. The tip line has been extremely successful since its creation.
Today the tip line has received over 57,000 telephone calls which have led to the arrest of over 1600 individuals throughout the Louisville Metro area. The tip line averages over 2700 telephone calls a month and 30 arrests a month. The Crime tip hotline is still staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by police employees who are specially trained in the gathering of investigative information. Calls to the tip line have assisted in closing eighteen homicide cases and the closing of three Meth labs. Calls are not all crime related some calls concern questions of quality of life issues and crime prevention. The tip line has now become a one stop shop for residents with crime concerns.
Keep Louisville Safe
Campus Watch
Under the leadership of Chief Robert C. White, the members of the Louisville Metro Police Department have been committed to working with the public in the mutual goal of keeping our city’s residents and visitors safe. One of the primary ways this is done is through the 574-LMPD crime tip line. This line was established with a tremendous help from the business community and the continuing support of the citizens of Louisville. Since its inception less than three years ago, the tip line has received nearly 30,000 calls and is responsible for the arrest of over 1200 individuals, with thousands of cases being solved.
An outgrowth of the tip line is the newly formed Keep Louisville Safe campaign that focuses on issues that might have been overlooked prior to merger. Campus safety is one of those issues.
Please take a moment to review our latest initiative, Campus Watch. If you are interested in the program, please call Sergeant Brian Bernardi at 367-4396.
What is Campus Watch:
The Louisville Metro Police Department is launching a new initiative, Campus Watch. This initiative will focus on the safety of students and university personnel. Each campus watch program will be uniquely tailored for the university/college/learning institute that implements the program.
How does it work?
Once it is determined that your organization would like to participate in Campus Watch, Officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department’s community relations unit will assist you in developing a program for your specific needs.
Services offered:
This program will offer the following services from which your organization can chose. If there are any additional needs, the Louisville Metro Police Department is committed to developing programs to address those.
- Security survey: A physical security study of the current facility.
- Crime Prevention Tips: Crime prevention brochures and/or presentations can be made by qualified officers.
- Safety Seminars: A safety seminar can be held, at least once a year, for students and faculty of the institution.
- The Crime Tip Hotline (574-LMPD): This line can be utilized for information regarding potential crimes, information on crimes already committed, and to receive general information regarding crime prevention issues or any additional police related matter.
- Neighborhood Watch: Campus Watch will be a part of the Neighborhood Watch program and will ensure that surrounding neighborhood programs do their part to assist the institution in keeping the facility safe and crime free.
- Access to our Citizen Observer Web Site: This emergency email system is currently being utilized to send our information on new crime trends, crime prevention measures, and recent criminal activity that could pose a hazard to citizens of Metro Louisville
- Guest instructors: The department will be willing to provide, if staffing levels permit, for officers to act as guest instructors at various times.
- Text Messaging: Text messaging has become an extremely popular method of communicating for today’s students. In an attempt to reach students who have crime tip information and for whatever reason don’t want to make a telephone call we will be offering the ability for them to text message the 574-LMPD staff crime tip information. Students will be able to send in a text message with crime tip information safely and anonymously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Quick Tip Cards: We will provide each college with Spanish and English Quick Tip Cards. These cards are self addressed, postage paid post cards with spaces provided that allow people with crime tip information to fill out the card, seal it up and drop it in the mail. The cards come into the 574-LMPD staff and are disseminated out from there for investigation.
