Henderson officials hosting town hall meeting to discuss new policing approach

HENDERSON, Ky. (WFIE) – On Tuesday, Henderson officials hosted a discussion about data-driven police.

The public, new police chief Sean McKinney, the County Human Rights Commission and many other local leaders discussed how local law enforcement use data analysis to make decisions about how they police the area.

Mayor Steve Austin said while crime is down, there’s room for improvement.

“On our 911 calls, they’re down about 5% for this year compared to last year at the same time,” Mayor Austin said. “Ya know there’s a lot of good things we can talk about, but there’s still a lot of calls, and there’s still a lot of situations.”

In the course of the meeting, representatives from the sheriff’s office and police department explained that they track crime based on their own incidents and 911 calls.

They said they log those crimes and keep track of what areas seem to have the most crimes of certain types. With that data, they’ll take precautions like adding speed bumps where necessary or even add more patrols.

The meeting was proposed by the Human Rights Commission as a way to educate the public on their first responders’ policies and to build trust with the community.

The commission said they would host more town halls throughout the year.

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