Welcome to our online chat with Douglas County Sheriff Ken McGovern.

The chat took place on Thursday, October 13, at 1:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome to our chat today with Douglas County Sheriff Ken McGovern, who is here in our News Center this afternoon, ready to take your questions.

I’m Dave Toplikar, World Online editor, and I’ll be moderating today’s chat.

We have some questions already sent in by our readers and we’ll start with them. Feel free to send in your questions during the chat.

Sheriff Ken McGovern: Thank you for this opportunity to respond to questions by the community.

Tony, Lawrence: Will the sheriff’s department ever merge with the Lawrence police department to create a county police department like in Riley County? Wouldn’t it save the county and city money if they did merge? Wouldn’t it also create better continuity of law enforcement and better training for all of the officers?

Sheriff Ken McGovern: At this time the city and county law enforcement officers work together on many projects. Statutorily the Sheriff’s Office has many different duties that must be addressed. A merger would have to be thoroughly researched to determine if it would be the best interest for all the citizens of Douglas County.

Sheriff Ken McGovern, right, answers questions from online readers. He is joined by Steve Hornberger, undersheriff for operations, middle, and Kenny Massey, undersheriff for corrections, behind Hornberger. Also joining the sheriff is Lt. Kari Wempe, public relations officer.

Jason: Does the sheriff department have anything to do with the Boardwalk fire and do you know if any LPD officers where hurt during it?

Sheriff Ken McGovern: At the request of Douglas County Fire and Medical and Lawrence Police Department, we assigned several deputies to assist in the investigation. This is an example of the level of cooperation that exists with the public service agencies in Douglas County. Concerns about LPD officers who may have been injured should be directed to Chief Olin.

Former Lawrence Native Now in Florida: Sheriff McGovern,

Its nice to know another Native is still the county Sheriff! How do you see the Sheriff’s role as the county population expands into unincorporated parts of the community? Does the SO have adequate resources?

Warmest Regards,

Former Native

Sheriff Ken McGovern: Thank you. As someone who was raised and attended schools in Lawrence is it an honor to serve the county as your Sheriff. As the complexion of the community continually changes, we strive to meet their needs. We, like many agencies throughout the state, continue to evaluate the budget in the best interest for the public’s safety.

Louise, Lawrence: How does the current homeless population directly affect the Douglas County Jail? Are we spending more on mental health services there?

Sheriff Ken McGovern: The homeless numbers do not directly affect the population at our jail. We have upgraded and continue to expand our mental health services for our inmates and are exploring further treatment and program options for the future.

Lori/59 Highway/Baldwin City: I was just wondering your thoughts on the “59 Highway” project. I hate to burst any bubbles here, but the highway is not the problem. It is the people who drive down it. I do not think the taxpayers are aware of how “few” county police officers there are to keep 59 highway safe. Why, because of lack of funds. No money to pay for the security of all the residents that live in the county. I cannot tell you how many people have gotten rear ended turning into their own driveways on 59 highway. I know that we have been hit 4 times. There are a lot worse highways out there than 59. So my question is this: In your opinion, why in the world would the tax payers vote to spend millions of dollars to “move” a highway over 350 feet instead of just widening the existing road that is already there, and then spending the money on securing our safety with more police officers on the roads? Everyone talks about the bigger and better highway but who is going to keep it safe and patrol it?

Sheriff Ken McGovern: The Sheriffs Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol are aware of the traffic concerns on Highway 59. When staffing allows, officers are assigned to patrol 59 highway to locate traffic violators. One method is Lidar radar enforcement in a concentrated area, which has proven to be successful. We will continue to be a presence on US 59 to provide safety for those who travel our roadways.

Jerry, Lawrence: How many deputies are in the county on each shift?

Sheriff Ken McGovern: When at authorized strength, there are six (6) deputies patrolling Douglas County.

Moderator: That’s all the questions that we have time for today. I’d like to thank the sheriff for coming in today.

Sheriff Ken McGovern: Thank you for the time and the excellent questions posed today by the readers. If our office can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.