Kentucky attorney general authorized to prosecute certain gun crimes in Louisville

Jefferson County’s top prosecutor for state crimes made a deal with Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman to hand over the prosecution and investigation of select gun crimes in an attempt to reduce violent crime in Louisville.

Typically the commonwealth attorney would need to invite the attorney general to prosecute or convene grand juries to investigate individual crimes outside of Franklin County, or in a few select circumstances.

But Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney Gerina Whethers and Coleman agreed to a memorandum of understanding that would allow the new office in Louisville to handle cases involving nonfatal shootings, convicted felons in possession of a firearm, Louisville’s Group Violence Intervention Program and the Prohibited Firearms Possessor program. It also allows for the office to take on “other violent crimes” based on mutual agreement.

Coleman said the office would be selective about the cases they take on, targeting “a very small number of very violent offenders.” The branch office is currently made up of two prosecutors, who were hired out of the commonwealth attorney and the county attorney’s office respectively, and a detective. They are currently handling about 75 cases. Whethers said her office is handling upwards of 4,900 open cases, split among 44 prosecutors.

“We are focused on the most violent, and we're focused on getting good outcomes,” Coleman said. “This is not about numbers, despite the fact that we are drowning in criminal matters.”

Whethers said the new office will be “another tool in the toolbox” to deal with violent crime in the city. Whethers was appointed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear to the position following the death of her predecessor Thomas Wine and won a special election last year, but she’ll be back on the ballot again this year, uncontested.

Whethers said her office doesn’t have control over their caseload or the types of cases they must prosecute, but Coleman’s office will be specialized.

“[The new office allows] us to enhance our own prosecution efforts, bringing the resources of the attorney general's office closer to home, and letting our offices go after criminals in a way that maximizes our skills and resources,” she said.

It’s a unique partnership between Republican state officers and Louisville officials who are overwhelmingly Democrats. The state legislature, which is dominated by Republicans, has frequently attempted to exert its influence over Louisville.

This year Louisville Republicans pushed for and successfully passed a massive bill that the sponsors said was aimed at reducing violent crime in Louisville in particular. The so-called Safer Kentucky Act created a three-strikes law for violent felony offenders, increased penalties for a number of crimes and made street camping illegal in the state.

Democratic Mayor Craig Greenberg said he was in full support of the collaboration.

“We all want to prevent as many crimes as possible from happening, but to the people who make the choice to commit violent crimes, we have one message,” Greenberg said. “If you pull that trigger, we will pull you off the streets and put you away for as long as we possibly can.”

Last year, LMPD's homicide clearance rate was 32.9% — out of 158 homicides, LMPD cleared 52 according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation . So far this year, Louisville has experienced a 5% increase in homicides compared to this time last year, putting it in the minority of major U.S. cities . Non-fatal shootings, however, are down about 7% so far, with 291 shootings since the start of 2024.

Coleman said the goal of the new office is to secure the longest sentences possible for the cases under its purview.

“We will be working very aggressively with our federal partners in trying to get the best outcome in incapacitating these offenders, removing them from the community as long as possible,” Coleman said.

Coleman said sending people to jail for longer would be key in creating a stronger deterrent effect in Louisville, which he said is not currently present.

“There is a sense that … there is not a punishment, there is not a swift and sure punishment to criminality,” Coleman said. “That's what we're up here to address. That's what we're up here to change.”

The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice holds that longer prison sentences do little to deter future crime, and that prisons may indeed have the opposite effect. However the certainty that police will catch a person does appear to deter some crime.

The new office will be located in the same building as the commonwealth attorney’s office in downtown Louisville and will be “fully supported” by the attorney general’s special prosecution unit based in Frankfort.

Coleman said Greenberg and Whethers have been the “epitome of zealous collaboration” and said he hoped to continue “tearing down silos” across the state.

State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.