New LMPD summer task force targets disorder in nightlife hotspots

Louisville officials are launching a “Summer Task Force” to increase police presence in entertainment districts.
The task force will consist of about 27 officers working nightly to proactively patrol areas and engage with the public.
Officials warned that disorderly youth will be arrested, and their parents may also face citations.

Louisville officials announced during a news conference April 1 that they will not tolerate behavior that threatens public spaces and safety as the weather warms and more people spend time outside.

To that end, the Louisville Metro Police Department is forming a dedicated task force focused on proactive policing in the city’s entertainment districts, including NuLu, downtown, and Bardstown Road, as well as areas with already increased police activity.

The “Summer Task Force” will include about 27 officers who will work rotating 10-hour shifts from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., seven nights a week. LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said that will translate to at least 13 officers on any given shift.

Instead of responding to calls for service, the officers — with assistance from LMPD’s Real Time Crime Center — will monitor areas of the city that tend to attract large crowds, stepping in when needed to prevent disorder or fights. But enforcement won’t be their only focus, Humphrey emphasized, noting he wants the officers to balance being law enforcers with being ambassadors for Louisville.

“We want these officers engaging with people. If ultimately these officers are spending the night walking around talking to people, that’s fine. If it means that they’re out here locking a lot of people up and putting people in prison, that’s good too,” Humphrey said at the news conference, joined by Mayor Craig Greenberg and Jefferson Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina Whethers.

Last year, LMPD assigned officers to patrol the Highlands from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. amid unruly crowds that shut down Bardstown Road on weekends. However, the new task force is different because officers will be assigned to it rather than signing up for overtime, Humphrey said.

The April 1 announcement follows increased enforcement in the Highlands neighborhood. Greenberg previously said that over the weekend of March 20, LMPD issued more than 60 citations and made 20 arrests. Most citations were for public alcohol consumption, public intoxication, blocking traffic and entering the roadway. Arrests included disorderly conduct, street fighting, obstructing police, possessing marijuana and driving under the influence.

It also comes after reports of fights and disruptions among children at Waterfront Park and near the Big Four Bridge, a popular pedestrian and bike-only bridge connecting Kentucky to Indiana.

Humphrey took a firm stance in his remarks, saying children will be arrested if they are fighting and being disorderly at Waterfront Park.

“We want them to come there and have fun. We want them to be safe,” Humphrey said. “But if you’re going to cause a disruption for people who want to have a good time, you’re going to get locked up. And the next person we’re going to talk to is your parents. And if that means we’ll cite your parents for your involvement in disorderly behavior, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

Whethers, the top prosecutor for Jefferson County, took a similar stance, saying officials will not tolerate “for our youth to take this path of wreaking havoc across our entire city.” She also said that parents who have enabled their children to commit criminal acts will be held responsible, citing recent cases in which juries convicted parents whose children were charged in school shootings in Michigan and Georgia on manslaughter charges.

“We’re trying to do everything, ladies and gentlemen, to not get to this point,” Whethers said. “But it’s out here, and we’re moving forward.”

In many U.S. cities, shootings tend to rise during the summer months, and Louisville is no exception. That trend was evident in 2025, according to Metro’s gun violence dashboard. However, the total number of shootings during the summer season, which ran from June 20 through September 22 last year, was lower than in the five previous years. Officials hope to build on that progress.

As of April 1 this year, there have been 21 homicides and 49 people injured by gunfire. This time last year, there were 23 homicides and 54 people injured by gunfire.

Greenberg has consistently stated that public safety is his top priority, and he reaffirmed this on April 1. In his remarks, he said public safety is the foundation for everything his administration is working on and that Louisville is becoming safer.

“But this is not progress that we celebrate. We know that every time bad actors attempt to disrupt our public spaces, every time we wake up to another tragic headline, it hurts our whole community’s ability to feel safe, and it reminds us that our work is far from finished. It also motivates us to keep doing more,” Greenberg said.

Jefferson County Public Schools has spring break from April 6-10, and Humphrey said there will be increased patrols during that week and around apartment complexes where car break-ins can be common.