Chat about policing Lawrence neighborhoods with Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh

February 7, 2007

This chat has already taken place. Read the transcript below.

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh are the new Neighborhood Resource Officers for the Lawrence Police Department. They'll take your questions about community policing.

Moderator:

Hello. This is Cody Howard. I'll be moderating today's chat with Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh, Neighborhood Resource Officers with the Lawrence Police Department. Our thanks to them for joining us today.

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

Thank you for inviting us here and hello to everyone.

Moderator:

The term "Neighborhood Resource Officer" is fairly new in Lawrence. Please give us a quick overview of how long these positions have been around and some of your duties.

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

The position of Neighborhood Resource Officer is new this year. We are going to act as liasons for the neighborhoods and different departments within the city.

Moderator:

What are some specific neighborhood issues you will focus on?

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

The safety and quality of life in our neighborhoods. Many community members have expresses concerns about graffiti in the city and that is one of the issues we are addressing. We are also focusing on the noise and party related nuisances and crimes.

Moderator:

Most would agree that's a big task. How do you specifically plan to combat those problems?

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

By working with the community through crime prevention, public education and the coordination of city services. We will encourage the use of neighborhood watch programs and other means of increasing safety and improving quality of life in the neighborhoods. We are currently working on literature to help educate the public about the various city and state laws as well as how we can work together to combat problems. As liasons that will work closely with the community members and members of the various city departments we hope to ensure complaints are followed up on and the problems are resolved.

hawkperchedatriverfront:

The recent water bills had some information about city ordinances. One of particular interest was NO PARKING on grass, gravel or dirt. Is this an ordinance that only applies to areas east of Iowa? How do you explain the lack of enforcement all through the Oread Neighborhood?

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

The ordinance you are speaking about is 17-410.30 and applies to all areas in the city. An exemption to this ordiance does apply to a portion of the city during KU home football games. If a violation of this ordinance is observed, please report it to the police department at 832-7509 and a patrol officer will respond and address the violation.

Moderator:

It's been about a month since this program has been up and running. How are things progressing? How has the first month gone?

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

Things have been going very well. Unfortunately we have been busy with administrative tasks required in getting our office up and running. We have made some accomplishments in reviewing procedures to improve the effectiveness of enforcement efforts. We have also been trying to get out in the community and meet some of the people we will be working closely with.

Moderator:

We have time for one more question today. What are the long term goals for the Neighborhood Resource Officers? What can be done to ensure those goals are met?

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

I think our long term goal is to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and to ensure Lawrence is a safe and enjoyable place to live. By offering personalized service we hope to strengthen the bond of trust and reliance between police and the public. By working proactively with the community we can identify problems before they occur and solve existing problems in a more efficient and effective manner.

Moderator:

That's all the time we have. Our thanks to officers McKinley and Shambaugh for joining us today.

Trent McKinley and Tina Shambaugh:

Thank you Cody and we really appreciated this opportunity.

Comments

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  1. This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

  2. George_Braziller (anonymous) says…

    I had a ten pound rock thrown like a discus through my second story window by a downtown reveler at 12:30 in the morning. Called the police and after providing MY vital statistics - eye and hair color, height, weight, date of birth, driver's license number - the officer asked for my social security number. When I refused to provide it because I couldn't see how it was relevant to file a police report, the officer said that he couldn't file the report without it and left.

  3. doc1 (anonymous) says…

    George. Are you making this up?? I really doubt that.

  4. smitty (anonymous) says…

    Wow!! Look at the vast interest and trust in the LPD Neighborhood Resource Officers. Got some work to do there boys and girls.

    BTW, 16 years ago the Peer Review Panel that was appointed because of the LPD killing of Gregg Sevier called for community policing. This is the rapid response to the community by Ron Olin?

  5. George_Braziller (anonymous) says…

    doc1

    I am indeed NOT making this up. It is unfortunately very true. I still have the rock in my garden and have the 1/8" dent in my floor to prove it.

  6. George_Braziller (anonymous) says…

    Another time I called dispatch because there was a guy passed out in the middle of the alley behind my house. It was dark and I was afraid someone would come down the alley and run over him. I was told that it wasn't illegal to be passed out in public. The wouldn't respond.

    In March, 1999 a guy who was driving a stolen vehicle and being pursued by FOUR police cars (two from each direction) was cornered in front of my house. In a last ditch effort he veered to the left, slammed into my vehicle which was parked on the street and hit the neighbor's tree. Cops swarmed in, the stolen vehicle was towed and I had to stop them as they were leaving to ask what information they needed from me. The officer said "Oh, nobody has talked to you?" The guy was driving so fast that it pushed my truck five feet down the street, hit with enough force to move the limestone curbs, and blew out all the tires. The insurance company totaled it and I had to pay the deductible because the insurance for the owners of the stolen vehicle wasn't liable for the damage because it was unauthorized use.

    Truth is stranger than fiction.

    My experiences with the LPD are not great.

  7. cowboy (anonymous) says…

    I had the unfortunate opportunity to have a fender bender a couple of winters a go and Shambaugh was the traffic officer , the rudest officer I have ever encountered and she is the liason , give me a break.

    Im a big suporter of law enforcement . This seems like window dressing.

  8. George_Braziller (anonymous) says…

    Are you capable of ever making a relevant, constructive comment?

    Sknaht.

    George.

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