Cameron Statement on Safer Kentucky Proposal

Louisville, Ky. (September 26, 2023) – Daniel Cameron released the following statement in response to a safety proposal unveiled by Louisville legislators to reduce crime and support law enforcement officers. 

“I applaud the General Assembly for their bold proposal to reduce crime across the state,” Daniel Cameron said. “Earlier this year, I released the Cameron Public Safety Plan which includes many of the provisions unveiled today, such as the death penalty for those who kill a cop, a carjacking statute, and establishing a Kentucky State Police post in Louisville. Andy Beshear released nearly 2,000 criminals from jail, a third of which went on to commit felonies. We need a governor who will back the blue, and that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

View the Cameron Safety Plan here.

The Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police, the state’s largest police organization with nearly 11,000 members, endorsed Daniel Cameron in August. They had previously endorsed Andy Beshear in 2019. 

Andy Beshear has emboldened crime and failed to support law enforcement

As Governor, Andy Beshear has failed to reduce crime and to give Kentucky’s law enforcement community the resources and support needed to do their jobs.

During 2020, Andy Beshear followed the lead of Democrats across the nation: He locked down Kentucky’s schools and unlocked Kentucky’s jails.

In 2020 alone, Andy Beshear released 1,700 criminals from jail, with nearly 50 percent of these criminals going on to reoffend. Nearly a third of the 1,700 went on to commit felonies. Separately, 262 of the 1,700 were later charged with misdemeanors.

Andy Beshear has never answered questions about his culpability in making crime worse in Kentucky, and his own Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary said Beshear’s actions took “courage.”

In 2020, rural counties saw a 68.5% increase in homicides. From 2019 to 2021, carjackings in Louisville increased by more than 200%. Louisville has experienced a historic high of murders for three years in a row, and under Andy Beshear’s watch, Louisville has outpaced Chicago’s and Philadelphia’s murder rates.

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