Lexington, Ky.–Fayette County’s public safety positions are currently facing significant understaffing issues, with a lack of officers in Community Corrections, E911, Fire, and Police, according to a March 9 memo to Council obtained by the Lexington Times. The city’s Community Corrections is dealing with 105 officer vacancies, with only 16 recruits starting on March 6, 2023. However, the department has received 108 applications–of which 76 were submitted, and 32 are in the draft stage–since January 31, 2023. Similarly, E911 is facing 19 vacancies, which is less than the authorized strength of 79. The...

Lexington, Ky.–The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council heard a police disciplinary recommendation at their Thursday meeting. The Chief of Police, Lawrence Weathers, presented the case of Officer Wesley Watkins, who had violated the General Order 197302k Disciplinary Procedures Appendix B Operational Rule 1.40 on Preventable Collisions. According to the investigation, Officer Watkins was involved in at least three at-fault collisions within a 12-month period, with minor property damage and no harm to the public or police department members. He had already completed driver retraining on September 13th, 2022, but it did not prevent the...