Louisville Metro Council members frustrated with lack of answers from LMPD about hiring officers

LMPD exists apart from the Sheriff because that's what the Metro Council and their predecessors wanted to do. Aubrey can't take LMPD over unless the Metro Council gives it to him. The Sheriff is legally considered the more senior law enforcement officer above the Chief, but that wouldn't extend to taking over LMPD as an organization without an ordinance being passed. JCSO only has about 240 regular deputies and 100 reserve deputies because they don't get the funding from the Metro Council that LMPD gets for street patrol and investigations. There's no way they could pay for 1200 deputies with the usual cut of the taxes that a Sheriff gets. Giving JCSO the money to staff up for investigations to counter the drug dealers and gangs would be wiser than trying to force more money and officers on a reluctant Chief. If Deputies are attached to or assist task forces that already exist, then they could be put to immediate use in a productive manner exactly as some of the LMPD Flex units were doing.

JCSO was created a long time ago when Kentucky was still a part of Virginia and nobody ever bothered to change its name. LMPD could legally put any DOCJT certified officer on the street, but chooses to run them all through additional lateral training instead.