That happened to me once, many years ago.

What was going on was that they were training a woman rookie to handle a traffic stop at night, and they were giving her plenty of backup so that she would feel safe. That was obvious. And by the way, it wasn't only 3 police cars pulled over behind me, for a few moments it was 4.

They never caught on to what I was really doing, and so I got away with it.

"(Ever see 3-4 cop cars for one pulled over motorist...lol)"

I can think of many reasons why there might be 3 or 4 police cars surrounding one single automobile.

And they range all the way from training a rookie how to safely make a traffic stop, to apprehending a bank robber.

If you go on the basis of just the license plate combinations - it is actually more then 999 possibilities. However, that is making the huge assumption that a) all of the license plates with the first three letters had been distributed to vehicles b) they were all the type of vehicle described and c) that they were all red. When you start taking those considerations into account then the number of vehicles will decrease dramatically. If we assume that the vehicle was probably from the area of Lawrence - that will narrow the search space to DG and the surrounding area (Shawnee, Wyandotte, etc.) Then you get some addresses and names - then you can filter by ethnicity. It wouldn't take a lot of work, but it would take a touch of effort. This is my complaint about the Lawrence Cops.

I guess I got a gun pulled on me because I was jogging? I have to admit that seeing me run could be very intimidating!

Am I an IT wizard or a disgruntled security guard? I am confused. I must admit - the attention you have given me makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

The door was locked and the back door had its glass broken.

An IP address is a very reliable thing - otherwise the Internet wouldn't work. It is true that you can't use it to tie an incident to a specific person. The best you can do is knock on the door of the physical address associated with the IP address and ask questions. If a person residing at the address has a history of theft then you may have probable cause to execute a search warrant. Then again, it may be an old lady that doesn't have a secure access point and someone is just using their WIFI. You don't know unless you try. Cops need to be educated on this, but it is quite apparent that our city cops are not.

Getting a gun pulled on you in Lawrence KS does happen. You just have to look at the LJ World archives to see that. Do I still jog at night? Yes. Am I concerned for my safety? No. Then again - I no longer live over by LMH were the incident took place.

Here, I'll say it: Kirk hasn't published in a while and what I have read of his work leads me to believe that he isn't particularly innovative or intellectually honest with his work. I would question why KU keeps him on staff but there is so much deadweight at that university that the question answers itself. Rather than using his old (and somewhat questionable) "research," why doesn't Kirk, Merrill and crew do some new, peer reviewed publishing on Lawrence?

In addition, if Merrill keeps pasting Kirk's CV, I will do a KORA request on Kirk's email to see how much political work Kirk is doing on the taxpayer's dime.

It's rather obvious that he's not talking about only problems with impared drivers.

My guess is that he's also thinking about traffic violations such as speeding and running stop signs that result in accidents that are very often fatal.

And also, the results of violent crimes. Stabbing and gunshot wounds are particularly gruesome, I'm sure.

And of course, women who are raped are often found in emergency rooms as well.

"The police don't stop crimes, they investigate them after they've occurred."

Maybe it's just me, but it always appears as though whenever a police car is nearby, very few motorists drive over the speed limit, run stop signs, or drive through red lights.

That reminds me of somehing. There was a small town somewhere that had a problem in that a lot of motorists from out of town were speeding through downtown.

So, they put up a very realistic billboard on the city limit that appeared exactly as though a police car was parked by the highway, pointing a radar gun right at you.

And after that billboard was put up, the speeding problem through downtown ended.

To answer your question, because I happen to know the answer; all Kansas law enforcement officers have to attend a Kansas certified law enforcement training academy. Candidates for Kansas law enforcement certification must first be hired/appointed by a Kansas law enforcement agency; a candidate in the State of Kansas cannot go to the academy on their own "dime". In other words, whatever department that hires the police recruit, must pay him/her their "hired salary", while the recruit attends the police academy.

By sending recruits to the academy in Hutchison, the hiring agency is putting their officers' education/training in the hands of another agency. Keep in mind that the Hutchison academy trains most of the recruits in Kansas; so, since most of Kansas are RURAL communities, the focus and scope of the training at the Hutchison academy will cater more toward the RURAL officer. This is why, if you'll notice, that Johnson County has a "satellite school" of KLETC in Overland Park, so that officers in SUBURBAN Johnson County are trained appropriately for the communities they serve. Kansas City, Kansas police officers...Wichita police officers...Topeka police officers...also attend their own police acedemies. Why? Because the communities these departments serve are not like the large majority of Kansas (which is predominantly rural).

If sent to the Hutchison academy, larger agencies like Lawrence PD have to put "faith" into the Hutchison academy that their recruits were properly trained, and from there, they have to "untrain" any bad habits or undesirable training learned from Hutchison's "cookie cutter" officer certification program. Additionally, Lawrence PD (like any other department that sends their recruits to Hutchison) would still have to spend weeks to expand the new officers' training/skill set to adapt that officer to the needs of that specific department and community.

So, instead of training/retraining/untraining officers, Lawrence PD (like other larger and suburban/urban agencies) has their own academy, where officers are trained and tailored to meet the needs of that particular department and community from the beginning, rather than "retraining" or "correcting" an already "trained" officer (from Hutchison).

From what I've heard, Lawrence PD has a large number of officers with college degrees, which I would assume translates into more "educated" police academy trainers. Also, according to Lawrence PD's training brochure, they have a 24-week training academy, versus Hutchison's 14-week training academy. I would imagine (or expect) that with 10 extra weeks of training, that the officers that come out of Lawrence's academy are better trained, but that is merely my assumption.

As far as the armored vehicle, I read the same document that you did on Lawrence PD's website. From what I've read, LPD has no armored vehicle of any kind. If there were some sort of critical incident to take place in Lawrence, where there were assailants with firearms, including assault rifles, were to engage in violent criminal activity, Lawrence PD has no form of physical protection for their officers to respond. Bulletproof vests? First off, this equipment only protects the torso. Secondly, Class III-a bulletproof vests (the highest protection rating available for a "citizen"), only protects against small arms rounds. If the assailant has a high powered rifle, those rounds will cut through a police officer's vest or unarmored police cruiser like a knife through butter; the responding officers won't stand a chance.

Now I understand that these officers have pledged their duties as a protectors of the community, and that loss of life is a very real risk assumed with the job, but do you really want to see our city's officers placed in that position because you're so overly concerned with Lawrence PD becoming some "overly militant" policing agency?

What makes Lawrence "special"? Well, aside from the obvious, it is also home to the University of Kansas, a well-known higher educational institution. This, alone, puts City of Lawrence at a higher risk for terrorist attacks (no, not just Islamic radicals). Do you think Blacksburg, Virginia (with their population of roughly 40k citizens) thought they were "special" when the Virginia Tech shooting incident occurred? Do you think that the Columbine Massacre took place in a "special" city? Columbine High School is located in an "unincorporated" part of Jefferson County, Colorado.

Still not convinced? Do yourself a favor and look up "North Hollywood Shootout". Lawrence has recently experienced an increase in bank robberies, likely due to our country's tough economic times, and who's to say that a "North Hollywood Shootout" couldn't happen here? Would you rather your police department to be adequately equipped and prepared? Or would you rather just throw them to the wolves, like expendable "assets" of the community?

Your argument for an Armored Vehicle by citing examples of school shootings is bit of a straw man. How would have an armored vehicle prevented the examples that you cite? How would have additional body armor prevented the examples you cite? You are also making the bit assumption that they don't already have some type of riot style gear. I am willing to bet that they do.

I can come up with "What if?" scenarios till I am blue in the face. It doesn't mean that they will happen.

I'm merely pointing out examples of active shooter incidents that occurred in a community's educational institution. The University of Kansas is no different. You cannot prevent ALL crime; not without grossly violating US citizens' rights.

Your argument is flawed, in the sense that "riot gear" is NOT bulletproof, let alone capable of protecting officers in the event that an assailant is armed with a high powered rifle.

The entire argument for an armored vehicle is the same as the one for a tactical team - its purpose is NOT for crime prevention, but rather crime response. You cannot predict events like the North Hollywood shootout, or the VT slayings.

You're absolutely right; you can come up with "What if?" scenarios all day long. You just defined the EXACT reason for police, fire, AND medical. WHAT IF your house catches on fire? Firefighters can only do so much (in the way of educating the public) to PREVENT fires, but generally, their function is to RESPOND to the "what if's" that actually manifest into an actual crisis.

Police can only do so much to PREVENT crime from occurring within the city. For everything else, police are there to RESPOND to an incident. The critical question is, "Is your police department adequately staffed and equipped to handle the "what if's"? Fire engines, ambulances...these are not commissioned by the City to PREVENT fires and medical emergencies. They are there to RESPOND, for when the unthinkable DOES happen. How would you feel if the fire department let your home burn down because they were not adequately equipped to handle the fire? How would you feel if medics told you that they don't have enough available resources to respond to your vehicle accident in an adequate enough time to save your passenger's life as your passenger bleeds out?

Police EXIST for the "what ifs". Since you brought up this topic, let me throw you some "what if's"...

What if a terrorist incident or other disturbance involving a deadly weapon occurred in Lawrence? If Lawrence PD does not have the armor or weaponry to safely respond to such an incident, you're left with two choices:

1) Do you want the police department to not respond to the incident, due to lack of staffing and equipment and unnecessary endangerment of police lives?

2) Do you want the police department, ill-equipped, to respond to the incident, safety and odds be damned, out-gunned and out-equipped, where the chances of multiple officers being injured or killed is high, and with the possibility that the situation could still not be resolved anyway?

Bonus question - if you prefer the latter, will you be there in attendance at the funeral of the fallen officers? What will your words of comfort be for the families of the officers whose careers are ended because their department was ill-prepared for such an incident?

Lawrence PD is not asking for an armored vehicle to PREVENT crime. You don't see any officers suited up in black tactical gear, marching up and down the streets of Lawrence to PREVENT crime. Just like the fire department needs fire engines and ambulances, the police department needs an armored vehicle...to RESPOND to those unthinkable, unimaginable "what if's".

Hopefully you're right, and Lawrence will never experience such a terrible event; however, understand that Manhattan never thought that 9/11 would happen. Blacksburg never thought that the VT slayings would happen. Oklahoma City never thought that the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building would happen. You can go on and on about critical incidents such as these, and sure enough, no one thought it would never happen until it was too late. If you would like to take that chance for Lawrence to be remembered in later years as one of "those" incidents, by all means. I, however, am not one who enjoys to gamble.

uglyrumor,

You are clearly misinterpreting what I've stated here, since it doesn't agree with your point of view, and twisting it to appear "backwards" in logic.

I have, in no way, stated that Lawrence PD acquiring an armored vehicle being the City's top priority. Comments were made on this article (and other articles) about the very concept of Lawrence PD having an armored vehicle as "ridiculous" or unjustifiable.

It's quite justifiable, as I've explained why; however, Lawrence PD has other "greater" needs that would and should come well before acquiring an armored vehicle. More personnel (civilian and sworn), equipment, a new facility...the list goes on.

You completely missed the point by reading my posts in a manner how YOU wanted to interpret it and ran with the idea. Lawrence PD needs an armored vehicle...just not now, not when it has other higher priorities that must be addressed.

Good job of slamming rural Kansans, food for thought. You imply that Hutchinson only trains un-educated rural Kansans....quite a biased assumption. And what is this difference between Urban and Rural law enforcement and the necessary training??? I would suggest that policing in Dodge City or Liberal could as challenging if not more than in Lawrence. And I would also think you need to review the educational attainment for a lot of smaller police departments in Kansas.

As for the "cookie-cutter" comment, sure, localities should be allowed to tailor training....but the training in Hutchinson can't be all wrong. If they are picking up "bad habits" in Hutchinson, why are we as a state supporting police training which trains "bad habits."

The training officers in Hutchinson train full time. Lawrence trainers are part-time, are they not? Why not take advantage of the best set of instructors?

Why staff to do the 14-week training which the state provides? It is a luxury. Let's put people on the street.

WRONG.

Policing a rural community is different from policing an urban community. If you can't realize this, then you don't know what you're talking about.

I'm not going to throw this discussion any further off-track because you lack the understanding or desire to educate yourself on the differences between rural and urban policing. If you want to enlighten yourself, don't ask others to do it for you. If you're seeking someone to educate you, enroll in a university and pay the appropriate tuition.

According to the most recent data, Lawrence has between 87,000 and 92,000 residents, excluding "non-resident" students. Lawrence is the 6th largest city in Kansas, and the "Top 7" largest cities in Kansas all train their recruits at academies other than Hutchison. Do you find this to be a coincidence? Or are the 7 largest cities in Kansas "doing it all wrong"?

I'm very pleased that you decided to bring up the "full-time" vs. "part time" argument. The role and response in law enforcement is ever-changing. Most of KLETC's instructors (as shown on their website) are either retired or, as a full-time instructor, haven't seen the streets in years. These instructors can certainly update their knowledge of certain policing strategies and procedures, but in the end, it is only "theory", and these instructors have not practically applied such material.

Let's use an analogy; say, you are facing a complicated surgery with a newly-trained surgeon. Would you want that surgeon to have been instructed on your surgery by a retired surgeon who has not been near an operating room in several years? Or would you rather the surgeon be trained by another surgeon who is currently practicing and continues to perform a number of the same surgeries?

With part-time instructors, the student is taught by an equally-competent officer, but also by an officer who still "lives" the current laws, policies, procedures, strategies, and tactics. These instructors can teach the recruits "modern" policing, with what works and what doesn't in the community that these recruits are being training to eventually serve. Lawrence is not Wichita; nor is it Crowley County, Overland Park, or any of the other agencies where the "full-time" instructors hail from. Each agency and each community is policed differently and each community has different expectations of their police department.

The larger a community gets, the more complicated and "unique" it becomes in their demand of the community's policing force. Full-time, part-time...doesn't really make a difference ultimately if the instructors teaching the officers aren't training and preparing the officer to function effectively within their unique and individual communities.

Why doesn't Lawrence provide a 14-week academy versus their 24-week academy? I don't know, perhaps the same reason that the Kansas Highway Patrol holds a 22-week academy, or Wichita Police Department hosts a 23-week academy, or KCK Police Department hosts a 24-week academy? Bigger cities are more complex and higher volume in their crimes. Larger cities train their officers longer to cover more material and to spend more time covering relevant topics to ensure the recruits are adequately trained to meet the higher demands of a larger department and community.

Think of it this way; A bachelors degree typically requires an average of 130 credit hours, give or take. A masters degree requires another 50 credit hours, give or take. Lawrence PD's academy is over 40% longer than the basic KLETC certification in Hutchison, and roughly three times the number of hours required by Kansas' mandate of "no less than 320 hours" for an officer to be certified in the State of Kansas. More hours = better education and understanding = more effective police officers. There are only two ways for a police officer to become more effective - training, and experience; the latter of which can only be acquired with time.

Keep in mind that Lawrence PD, like any other Kansas-certified police academy, has to have all of their training material approved by the KLETC in Hutchison, so the training received to each recruit is no less than what is received by the academy in Hutchison.

As the 6th largest city in the State of Kansas, with the population of over 90,000 residents (excluding "non-resident" students), Lawrence is anything but a "small town".

An obese person can "think like a skinny person" all they want, but that doesn't address their weight problem.