Metro Council representative urges action on youth detention, traffic enforcement and judicial transparency

Scott Reed, the Metro Council representative for District 16, told Prospect City Council on Sept. 15 that public-safety remains his caucus’s priority and urged local officials to press state and Metro leaders on several fronts.

Reed, who introduced Jared Townes as his legislative assistant, said recent recruit classes for the Louisville Metro Police Department have been stronger because pay is now competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. “The last recruit class was about half full. The one that we just brought on is completely full,” he said.

Why it matters: Reed said stronger recruitment should improve local policing capacity but that other gaps remain. He urged reopening a state-funded youth detention center that, he said, was approved in state budgets three years ago but remains closed. “We must get our youth detention center reopened,” Reed said, adding that juveniles arrested are sometimes transported to distant facilities, stretching officers’ time and resources.

Reed also described a Republican caucus initiative called Safer Louisville that would include a judicial scorecard to give voters information about judges’ records on prosecution and sentencing. He framed the scorecard as a transparency tool intended to inform voters rather than a change in law.

On street solicitation, Reed said constitutional limits constrain local regulation: “It’s a First Amendment thing,” he said, and noted a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling recognizing solicitation rights on public property. Instead of ordinance changes that courts might invalidate, Reed said his caucus wants nonregulatory approaches — signage and public education — to direct donations to service providers rather than handing cash.

Reed also urged local leaders to consider automated traffic enforcement, citing models in other states that he said have reduced dangerous driving. “We must have automated traffic surveillance, traffic control,” he said, adding that some lawmakers oppose the measure but that committee review and out-of-state examples merit study.

Reed closed by urging better communication around state transportation projects after federal funding windows accelerated work on multiple corridors. He said Metro had limited notice of simultaneous projects and that officials should improve coordination to reduce local disruption.

What’s next: Reed urged local officials to press state agencies and Metro Council committees for timelines and to pursue options the caucus has proposed. He offered to answer questions and said he appreciated the chance to brief the Prospect council.

Direct quotes in this article are from Scott Reed’s remarks to the council during the Sept. 15 meeting.