LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Security and police operations downtown will be increased after a woman was assaulted on Wednesday.
Mayor Linda Gorton wrote in a news release that the person charged with assaulting the woman had “numerous interactions” with the criminal justice community, as well as unhoused folks in Lexington.
“This is a compassionate city,” Mayor Linda Gorton wrote on Wednesday. “We prove that every day through the programs we provide for people in our community who need help. “We must also be a safe city. We cannot tolerate criminal activity.”
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According to a news release around 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 14, Gorton said city leaders will be taking the following steps:
- Increasing police presence downtown.
- Expanding the hours of private security at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza and in the soon-to-reopen Phoenix Park to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Hiring private security for Tandy Park between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. each night.
- Conducting joint operations between the Lexington Police Department and the Street Outreach Team. The current Street Outreach Team deploys throughout the city to address encampments. It will be refocused on the downtown core to work alongside police on providing relocation and other services aimed at discouraging congregation.
- Putting out a Request for Proposals for a second Street Outreach Team.
- Investigate the cost of additional security cameras downtown.
The mayor encouraged anyone who feels unsafe or in a situation where tensions are escalating to call 9-1-1…