Lakeside Park-Crestview Hills Police Chief Brad Degenhardt credited Flock license-plate cameras with a reported 71% decline in crime in and around Crestview Hills Town Center during the Sept. 14 council meeting.

Degenhardt proposed adding two more Flock devices in Lakeside Park, one at Dixie Highway and Buttermilk Pike and another on Turkeyfoot Road. The expansion would cover the remaining territory the department patrols, according to the city's meeting minutes.

The minutes do not specify the baseline period or methodology behind the 71% figure.

Degenhardt described the cameras as an investigative tool and said the department conducts monthly audits of the system, exceeding the required quarterly reviews. The department has also adopted the Kentucky League of Cities model policy for Flock camera use.

Residents can learn more through the department's OCV police app, which now includes a transparency portal showing the number of devices, the number of searches and what the system does and does not record. Business cards with a QR code to download the app are available at the Lakeside Park City Building at 9 Buttermilk Pike.

Edgewood is reviewing whether to resume using its paused Flock cameras.

Councilmember Thomas Bernheimer commended the chief for the procedures and reporting he has put in place around the cameras.

Tax rates hold steady

Council voted 4-0 to keep Lakeside Park's 2026 tax rates unchanged. Under Ordinance No. 11-2026, the real property rate stays at $0.240 per $100 of assessed value. The personal property rate remains $1.481 per $100, and the motor vehicle and watercraft rate holds at 27.69 cents per $100.

Councilmember Brian Waite said the steady rate shows good management of city funds. Bernheimer agreed, noting the hold comes while costs of living are rising.

Mayor Paul Markgraf said the city hoped to mail tax bills during the first week of October.

Accreditation and officer recognition

The Lakeside Park-Crestview Hills police department received its sixth accreditation from the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police (KACP) on Aug. 12, Markgraf reported.

The mayor also recognized Patrolmen Armstrong and Boyers, who received the Combat Cross for their actions during a critical incident. Patrolman Wilson graduated from Criminal Justice Training in Richmond on July 23 and earned the Coordinator's Award and the Physical Fitness Excellence Award.

Infrastructure updates

Bernheimer reported the Crestview Hills sidewalk project remains on track for completion next spring. The Bellemonte Avenue resurfacing and curb replacement project is under review with Sanitation District No. 1 for sewer and catch basin work, with a January meeting planned to discuss the impact on residents.

Crack-seal work on the Applewood and Farmington subdivisions is expected to wrap up by year's end.