News Release
07/17/97
Contact: Melissa Forsythe
(502) 564-2611
Governor Paul Patton today assembled a team of criminal justice experts to work on ways to reduce crime and institute reforms.
"I want a top to bottom review of our criminal justice system and recommendations for action we can take quickly to streamline the system and combat the abuse of drugs," Governor Patton said. "I charge this group, with representatives from the judiciary, prosecutors, as well as state and federal law enforcement, with rolling up its sleeves and immediately begin the work of recommending to me significant criminal justice reform."
Governor Patton named U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, Mike Troop, as Chairman of the Governor's Criminal Justice Response Team. Members of team are:
Jefferson County Corrections Chief Ron Bishop, Daviess County Sheriff John Bouvier, Kentucky Chiefs of Police Association President Ed Brady (Henderson), Kenton County Police Chief Michael Browning, Attorney General A.B. Chandler III, Justice Secretary Dan Cherry, District Court Judge Denise Clayton (Louisville), Public Protection and Regulation Cabinet Secretary Laura Douglas, Secretary of the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police Ray Franklin, Vice President and General Counsel of the Taylor Building Corporation of America Chris Gorman, Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Handy (London), Paul Isaacs, Administrative Office of the Courts, Paducah Mayor Albert Jones, Fayette County Attorney Margaret Kannensohn, Former FBI Special Agent in Charge of Kentucky Dave Kohl, Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson (Lexington), University of Kentucky Law professor Bob Lawson, Pamela Murphy, Deputy Justice Secretary, Commonwealth's Attorney Phil Patton (Barren County), Eastern Kentucky University College of Law Enforcement Dean Truett Ricks (Richmond), and Edwina Walker, Assistant Professor, Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky.
Governor Patton said he wants recommendations for legislative and administrative actions by December 1st of this year.
"We're beginning to define broad areas of concern for our 1998 legislative agenda, and this will include proposals to reform the criminal justice system," the governor said. "We must make our system more efficient, responsive and effective."