34 Layoffs Possible In LMPD

Louisville Metro Police Chief Robert White says layoffs in his department are unfortunate, but necessary.The mayor's proposed budget for the next fiscal year calls for 119 layoffs, 34 of which are in Metro Police.White says none of the employees scheduled to be let go are officers, though he says some cuts may not have been necessary if the police officer's union had not challenged the mayor's decision to impose fees on take-home cars."I don't want to point the finger in one direction – I'll leave that up to others to make that judgment. But obviously this was about money, this was about the economy, this was about the budget," he says. "Unfortunately we were not able to do that without impacting some employees."A Labor Cabinet officer recently ruled that the city could not collect fees from police officers who use their cars off duty. The decision could cost the city $1.4 million over the next fiscal year. Union leaders contend the fees would violate their labor contract.The Metro Council has until the end of this month to modify and approve the budget.