Council To Look Into LMPD Court Absences

by Gabe BullardA Louisville Metro Council Committee will begin looking into the police department's problem with court attendance Wednesday. But it's not yet clear what the council can do to correct the problem.Last year, the Courier-Journal reported that many convictions were overturned because police officers failed to show up for court hearings. A follow-up this month found some improvements, but said the problem still persists.The committee will hear from the officer in charge of improving court attendance among police officers. Chair Tina Ward-Pugh says she wants to find out why officers are missing court dates."Not just are there internal reminders or flags that say, 'I want to remind you today you've got to go do this,' but are there other circumstances that stack the cards against them that we could help bring forward and be creative in solving," she says.Police say a new electronic subpoena system that will be introduced soon is expected help improve attendance.Ward-Pugh says she's not interested in berating the LMPD, but wants clarify the problem and take steps to solve it.