Lexington businesses see improvement in downtown safety

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The City of Lexington has put a lot of emphasis on downtown safety this year.

According to the City of Lexington’s crime data, homicide rates are down from this time last year. And with safety being a big priority for the city, many local businesses are saying they’ve seen the positive impacts already.

Travelers from near and far say they’ve enjoyed getting to know the city, trying local food and breweries, and visiting historical sights. Throughout their stay, they say they’ve felt comfortable in their surroundings.

“Felt very safe. The streets were clean, people are friendly, you know, a few homeless people here and there, but they’re just asking for change like anywhere else in any other city, so overall, feels very safe,” said a traveler from Wisconsin, Ethan Freel.

Downtown Lexington Partnerships executive director Allen McDaniel says with several record-setting nights at Thursday Night Live. They look forward to downtown hosting residents and visitors.

In a statement, he says:

“Due in no small part to the collaboration between multiple community partners, downtown safety continues to improve and we are proud to welcome all to the heart of our city.”

LexPark previously told us they were adding about 150 cameras to their garages downtown, along with more security.

And right in the center of it all are several local businesses.

“Being stopped by certain people can be kind of stressful. Not knowing their intentions can be a little scary sometimes, but I always see active police downtown patrolling, walking around, stopping people, so that kind of makes me feel safer,” said Zim’s shift lead Robin Carey.

With many events downtown this summer, these local businesses and people say they’re hopeful these positive impacts will continue growing.

Other local businesses tell us that they’ve seen the difference as well.

The Lexington Parking Authority expects those cameras in the downtown garages to be completely installed in about two weeks.