LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Downtown Louisville was once known as the safest area in Louisville, but recently it has been riddled with a series of crimes.
The area has seen several break-ins, and on Friday afternoon, USPS said a postal worker was held at knifepoint.
Goodwood Brewery experienced a break-in around 4 a.m. on Saturday. Owner Ted Mitzlaff shared the surveillance video he captured.
The video shows someone walking down East Main Street carrying a bookbag and wearing a mask.
They walk past Goodwood, doubles back, and launches a brick at the door. They were unsuccessful in shattering the glass completely, and so they tried again and failed.
Mitzlaff explained the door is made with hurricane glass, which he installed to keep burglars out.
The surveillance shows the person walking away, but the discovering the side door, which Mitzlaff said the person broke into successfully. The person then entered the building, and video shows them stealing from the business.
It was a task that took just a few minutes and only left the person a few hundred dollars richer; meanwhile, Mitzlaff said it put him about $17,000 in the hole.
"It's a constant battle and it's so frustrating not only for businesses, but for the residents as well,” he said. “People love NuLu, but it's very frustrating."
Goodwood sits not far from Slugger Field in the NuLu neighborhood, where the postal worker was robbed.
Mitzlaff said there needs to be more LMPD officers patrolling the streets, but said he knows that's hard with the shortage they're facing.
Mitzlaff said the officers who responded to the break-in told him they had already worked 18 straight hours.
"They were frustrated,” he said. “Until they can get the staffing up to where it needs to be, until we give police the support and respect they deserve, it's going to be a problem."
Andy Blieden, who has restored many properties in Butchertown, is the landlord of several buildings on Main Street. He said his building, 'Cultured,’ was broken in to three nights in a row last week, and he thinks it was the same suspect each time.
"It's just sad. It's not fair," he said.
Blieden agrees that more patrols would help curb the problem.
"But they've got other stuff to do too,” Blieden said of LMPD officers. “It's not like they can drop 100-percent of what they're doing and immediately come here."
So, Blieden said until the shortage is better managed, it's up to the community to stay vigilant and speak up when crimes are committed.
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