Corrections officers ask city to pay for their damaged cars

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Officers with the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections are asking for Mayor Greg Fischer to approve the city paying for damages to their cars caused during the civil unrest.

According to Daniel Johnson, the president of the union representing corrections officers, more than 35 cars belonging to jail employees have been vandalized in recent weeks. Their cars have suffered busted windshields, windows, headlights and body damage.

One of the vehicles with the most amount of damage belonged to Ralph Williams, who works at LMDC. He said he had just gifted the vehicle to his daughter as a graduation present. He had just taken the car to work to get an oil change after his shift.

"It's rough," Williams said. "It kinda touches your heart in the wrong way."

Williams is also former military, serving in places like Afghanistan.

“I did everything I could so that we can do things like protest, only to come back home to not receive that love, the embracement from my community, that I serve every day,” he said.

"It doesn't matter where you park, in the garage, on the street," Johnson said. "Our jail doctor's car got spray-painted and all he is trying to do is help people."

Estimates of the damages to add up to more than $25,000, according to Johnson who submitted the request to the Mayor's office Thursday.

"It's extremely frustrating especially since the Mayor paid for the protesters' items," Johnson said. "Now we are asking for the same thing for the city employees."

Johnson said some city employees have had to pay hundreds of dollars and face their insurance premiums going up.

"All they are doing is providing a service for this city," Johnson said. "We are requesting for the city to step up and help take care of its own employees who are sacrificing so much to continue to work downtown during this difficult and dangerous time of public unrest."

WAVE 3 News has reached out to Mayor Fischer’s office for comment. We will update this story with their response.