‘This is unacceptable’: FOP says Lexington Police Department short 131 officers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — The Lexington Police Department is short 131 officers, and a Fraternal Order of Police president who has been on the force for 21 years says this is unacceptable.

FOP Bluegrass Lodge 4 President Jeremy Russell wrote on Facebook about his concern that his over two decades in law enforcement in Lexington, not much has changed staffing-wise.

In 2002, the LPD had 501 sworn officers, Russell said. Today, that number is at 508.

“Today there are seven more officers actively working Patrol than when I started 21 years ago. Patrol are the officers that drive around looking for and preventing crimes and respond to calls for service. That’s 21 years with significant increases in the population and significant increases in responsibilities and there are only seven more active officers in Patrol,” he wrote on Facebook on the Fraternal Order of Police Bluegrass Lodge 4 page.

According to Russell, Lexington police have an “authorized strength” of 639 sworn officers.

He says over the next few weeks, he’ll continue sharing information that affects our city, including more about Lexington’s police department.

In the post, Russell encouraged anyone who’s concerned about these numbers to reach out to Mayor Linda Gorton, Chief of Staff Tyler Scott, all council members and Public Safety Commissioner Ken Armstrong.

“Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If the people in charge don’t care, it is up to the concerned citizens to let them know this is unacceptable,” he wrote in the post.

ABC 36 reached out to Lexington police for comment. They replied with this statement:

“The Lexington Police Department’s authorized strength is 639. As of 09/18/23, there are 116 vacant positions. There are 15 recruits in the academy, which is scheduled to graduate in December, and we are starting another class in October with 37 recruits.

In addition, we recently started the Police Officer R Program. The program allows us to hire back officers who retired from our agency and bring back years of experience. So far, we have already hired 9 officers through this program. These officers supplement current staffing.

While the police department may not be at authorized strength, we are ensuring areas such as patrol are appropriately staffed to answer calls throughout the city.

We are also actively recruiting for another class, which will start in March 2024. Recruits will earn a $3,000 bonus upon successful completion of the Training Academy. Those looking to apply or learn more can visit www.joinlexpd.com or text JOINLEXPD to (859) 658-1414.”