Some Lawrence residents put the “big heat” on their police department during a community forum Wednesday night, as one person after another spoke out about lack of accountability, inadequate response to property crimes and lack of public communication.

The forum, in the auditorium at the Lawrence Public Library, was attended by about 30 people, including neighborhood residents, city commissioners, City Commission candidates, community organization leaders and two police officers.

“There are very few outlets to express opinions about the police,” said Mike Hajdu, who said he was the sole sponsor of the forum.

Hajdu said he was unhappy about how police investigated a series of burglaries to his car and property and to those of nearby neighbors after moving to Lawrence two years ago. He said he realized that “unless I got mad, nothing was going to happen.”

Hajdu, however, credited City Commissioner Boog Highberger with spurring the police to respond better to neighborhood property crime concerns.

Other complaints stemmed from a perceived slow response to more recent burglaries in eastern Lawrence, including those in the Brook Creek neighborhood. At least one person called for Lawrence Police Chief Ron Olin to step down.

“The time has come for a change,” said Beth Anne Mansur, who also recounted problems she and neighbors had a with drug house a few years ago. “Chief Olin has had his chance, and he blew it.”

Police Sgt. Dan Ward, the department’s media relations officer, and Sgt. Catherine Born, a night patrol supervisor, took notes on the complaints they heard. They did not try to respond to all of the comments. Ward said the complaints would be discussed in the department.

“We’ll re-evaluate and see if we can do anything better,” he said.

Lori Robinson talks about her frustrations with the Lawrence Police Department at a community forum Wednesday at the Lawrence Public Library. Residents expressed concerns about the department's abilities to investigate and prevent crimes.

After the meeting Ward said the department didn’t have enough officers to respond to everything as the public might want, adding that at any given time the department might have 13 officers on duty responding to calls in a city of nearly 100,000 people.

Not all the complaints were strictly leveled at the police department. Lori Robinson said she had trouble getting police and other city departments to do something about liquor bottles and beer cans dumped in Hobbs Park.

“I just felt like I was beating my head against the wall,” Robinson said. She noted that it took a call to Commissioner (then Mayor) Sue Hack for the problem to be addressed.

Complaints also centered on the availability of police records, statistics and crime reports. Arly Allen, a Centennial neighborhood resident, said he recalled similar meetings in the past to address the same problems discussed Wednesday night.

“We have had great difficulties trying to communicate our concerns to the police department, and we have gotten nothing,” Allen said.

Beth Anne Mansur, a resident of Brook Creek neighborhood, relates her dealings with the Police Department regarding a neighborhood meth lab. Mansur brought piles of notes she had gathered during the experience.

Difficulties accessing police records were disputed by Kim Murphree, a civilian employee who works in the records department. She said she could make readily available two months of records to anyone who asks. She also commended police for responding to dangerous situations she has been involved in.

Laura Routh, who helped Hajdu organize the forum, touted the need for a citizens review board to review public complaints about the police department.

Several City Commission candidates, including incumbents Dave Schauner and Sue Hack and challengers Mike Amyx, Tom Bracciano and Jim Carpenter, were asked their opinions about the police department and the need for a citizens board.

All of the candidates said they thought police were doing an overall good job but they added that more could be done. Reaction to a review board was mixed. Bracciano and Carpenter said they would support a review board, depending on the powers given to such a board. Hack said she wouldn’t endorse a board without knowing more about what it could do. Schauner and Amyx said they didn’t know whether a review board was the answer.

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