Attorney General Daniel Cameron reveals public safety plan
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the Republican nominee for Governor, released a “Public safety Plan” Tuesday.
It includes 12 proposals that Cameron said would result in reducing crime.
“Public safety is the first responsibility of the government,” Cameron said. “We don’t have streets that are safe. Our economy and our schools suffer. Every Kentuckian has the right to live and move freely around their community without fear.”
Cameron lists the following 12 proposals:
- Increase recruiting and retention of police officers
- Pass a bill that gives the death penalty to cop killers
- Block civilian review boards from getting subpoena power
- Highlight and honor police at key events
- Add a Kentucky State Police post in Louisville
- pass a statewide wiretapping law for Kentucky State Police
- Reform the parole board
- Increase penalties for drug traffickers who kill Kentuckians
- Use overdose mapping to surge resources to drug hot spots
- Mandatory DNS collection for most heinous felony arrests
- Pass standalone carjacking statute
- Advocate for group violence intervention (GVI)
Cameron’s plan would block future legislative attempts of the Louisville Civilian Review Board to acquire subpoena power in investigating complaints against LMPD.
“We already have a judicial system that has the power to subpoena law enforcement,” Cameron said. “We don’t need a third party doing that with the express purpose in my judgment of denigrating our law enforcement community.”
When asked to provide examples, Cameron did not reveal any cases of “denigrating” law enforcement.
So far, legislative attempts to acquire subpoena power for the civilian review board have failed.
Cameron argued that civilian oversight with subpoena powers undermines public trust. Louisville’s Inspector General disagreed.
“96% to 97% of the time we agree with the officers’ actions,” Edward Harness, Louisville Metro Inspector General said. “So actually, we affirm what the officers have done and not denigrate their work.”
Mayor Craig Greenberg also praised the collaboration between the LMPD and the civilian review board.
”If there are others in Frankfort, or anywhere else, that wants to hold us back, let them try,” Greenberg said. “But here in Louisville, we’re going to work together with our city, with our police department, with every citizen that wants to be a part of the solution to make our city safer.”
Cameron also criticized Governor Andy Beshear’s handling of crime in Kentucky.
He used the ongoing violence in Louisville as an example.
“No governor should sit idly by as the state’s largest city, an economic hub, is ravaged by violence and addiction,” Cameron said. “Andy Beshear has, I won’t.”
Beshear campaign spokesman Alex Floyd responded with a statement, saying in part, “Unlike Cameron’s record of covering for criminals and lying about grand jury proceedings, Andy Beshear actually delivered pay raises for law enforcement, leading to the largest Kentucky State Police recruiting class in years.”
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