To the editor:

I am so glad the residents of west Lawrence, who have recently been victims of crime, are being provided such prompt assistance by the Lawrence Police Department.

But as a resident of the old east side of town, I sure wish we could get that kind of help. Last time we had a run of vehicle and garage break-ins in the Centennial Neighborhood, ours were described by the police as “vandalism” not “car burglaries,” as are now occurring in west Lawrence. Why the semantic difference? Perhaps west Lawrence residents have nicer cars.

In east Lawrence, it took months to get the police department to pay attention to our crime problem, and they only ever resolved it after the main culprit was caught and reported to the police by neighbors. Throughout, the police working in east Lawrence didn’t really bother to investigate much. Honestly, it was as if we did not matter.

Now, out west, the police department seems on the case. And good for them. I just hope this headline is not a harbinger of things to come. The police department – and indeed City Hall as a whole – need to provide equal service and care to all neighborhoods, not just those with certain demographic characteristics.

Laura Routh,

Lawrence