Mike Behrend is the new officer-in-charge of the Lawrence post office, while Postmaster Judy Raney fills in elsewhere for a postmaster who recently retired.

Richard Watkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, said Behrend would serve as officer-in-charge — the formal label for acting postmaster — in Lawrence until Raney’s return.

Just when that might occur is unknown at this time, Watkins said.

Raney is one of many postmasters and others working on “detail,” Watkins said, as postal employees who started in the 1970s move into retirement. The postal service also has been offering early retirements to reduce its payroll.