Some of the 13 new Lawrence police recruits visit with city and police department officials after they were sworn in during a ceremony at the Investigations and Training Center on Tuesday, August 23, 2011. From left are Chris Schweer, Lauren Link, Sheri Stites, Meagan Horvath and Dean Kemppainen.
Lawrence police and city leaders Tuesday morning welcomed 13 new officer recruits — six women and seven men — and said the class would allow the department to increase the number of patrol officers in the city, once recruits complete ninth months of training.
“We have made it a point to fund this department and to make sure that you are here this morning,” City Manager David Corliss told the new class shortly before they were sworn in at the department’s Investigations and Training Center, 4820 Bob Billings Parkway. “I think it speaks well of this community’s commitment to law enforcement. We view this not as just a position, a job, but a career.”
The Lawrence City Commission recently approved four new patrol officer positions as part of its 2012 budget, and Police Chief Tarik Khatib said city leaders authorized the hiring of the 13 officers to fill the four new positions and anticipated attrition in the force by the time the new officers are ready to patrol on their own next May.
Khatib lauded the recruits and said they had a diverse background in their past work experience.
“That brings a certain kind of maturity and leadership. We have several who are leaders in different walks of life,” said Khatib, who was promoted to chief in February. “All of those things prepare individuals for this type of work.”
Only one recruit had past law enforcement experience and another has military law enforcement experience, but Khatib said it was common for the department to hire recruits new to the field and put them through a 24-week training academy specific to Lawrence and the department. Earlier this year he did hire six officers who had worked in other Kansas departments and put them through a six-week academy in an effort to fill positions quicker.
Members of the new class said Tuesday they were eager to get into the field.
“I think it was the closest thing I could get to without actually being in the military,” said recruit Jake Burke, 28, a 2001 Lawrence High graduate who served in the U.S. Coast Guard. “We do a lot of great interaction with the community, and that’s what interested me.”
Ashley Johnson, 26, who grew up in Kansas City, Mo., often worked with law enforcement as a licensed social worker.
“This is something I always wanted to do,” said Johnson, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas University and also has a master’s degree in public administration. “I knew I wanted to do public service, but I was just trying to figure out how I fit into that arena.”
Comments
Carol Bowen 2 years, 7 months ago
Other than the usual college town stuff, they also have to deal with gangs from Kansas City and Topeka. They must be doing a good job, because no one seems stressed about crime.
waka3 2 years, 7 months ago
dude lawernce has way to many police
pigballin 2 years, 7 months ago
It sounds like the commissioners of Lawrence,Ks. has turned it into a police state.
Never live there.
autie 2 years, 7 months ago
Oh sweet jeebus smitty..give it a break. I don't think anybody cares to read your endless accusations and rants about the crooks from yellow house or the cops tha busted them or the courts the prosecuted. Guess what...no on cares about a bunch of criminal scumbags....you break the law, you got a problem....you are a law abiding dude and you have no problems...like the taught us in grade school..the policeman is your friend. is that concept so difficult? OH,, and back to the article...boy if I was to be arrested, I would sure like Sheri and Meagan and Lauren to be a snappin them cuffs on me....
moot 2 years, 7 months ago
too bad lawrence isn't as big as kansas city or as violent as topeka. all cops do in this town is baby sit the college kids.
jaywalker 2 years, 7 months ago
ferris: "But I have a big problem with giving speeding tickets when there is no one around just to build up revenue"
Right. 'Cuz it's not speeding if there's no one around. Construction zones should automatically turn into autobahns the second the road workers leave the site, that's what I say. Uh huh.
cletus26 2 years, 7 months ago
well i be...
smitty 2 years, 7 months ago
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FiremanChris 2 years, 7 months ago
It's great to see some LHS grads and familiar faces in the group; I'm glad they hired some people who grew up here. Best of luck
Liberty_One 2 years, 7 months ago
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CalamityKim72 2 years, 7 months ago
Funny....I am on the lower end of the "food chain" so to speak. Have lived in this town my whole life. All "we" hear about is how corrupt this police deparment is. I USED to respect them when I was a child and even into my young adulthood. However, since reaching middle-age, have found them to be arrogant and DEFINATELY acting too big for thier britches. Alot of them 'bend' the rules, so to speak, and aren't doing what we, as tax payers, are paying them to do. I think Police Chief Tarik Khatib should take a real good look at the internal structure his office and start to break down just what exactally are his men doing during their shifts. Including reviewing the 'notebooks' the officers use to take down information. He should also review all of his SENIOR officers and their track records. Who they've been in contact with on the streets more times than one. And are they justified 'stops' What was the outcome of that stop and was there a ticket issued? Do they tend to make one type of arrest or contact more than another. example Do they have more of a drug type arrest versus a domestic or traffic? I believe more often than random drug testing, folicle only, should happen. Anyone employed by the city are REQUIRED to be subject to random drug testing. I'm not saying you can teach an old dog new tricks, but you can eliminate the bad examples so that the new dogs don't learn bad habits. With all that said, I would like to welcome the new recruits, that will eventually get transferred elsewhere, and bid you all good luck. Even the 9 that are training to be drug enforcement. Have a nice day. :o)
AppologiesMyLiege 2 years, 7 months ago
bootlegger(anonymous) says…
Why do they need so many; is there a big turnover?
The coming "Age of Turmoil"? http://www.sovereignman.com/
dogsandcats 2 years, 7 months ago
"...once recruits complete ninth months of training."
thewayne 2 years, 7 months ago
Jeez Smitty, really? Can you please take your conspiracy theories elsewhere? Have you ever considered the Lawrence training facility is maybe just so bad a@@ that our trained officers are being recruited by other agencies and just end up moving on to bigger and better things? And if that's so they need to be replaced. Not to mention population growth. I mean really, what are you so afraid of? Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! BOO! Scared ya didn't I? Anyway, good luck officers and stay safe and welcome to Lawrence, I think you will like it here. We appreciate what you do, most of us anyway.
smitty 2 years, 7 months ago
The Lawrence City Commission recently approved four new patrol officer positions as part of its 2012 budget, and Police Chief Tarik Khatib said city leaders authorized the hiring of the 13 officers to fill the four new positions and anticipated attrition in the force by the time the new officers are ready to patrol on their own next May.
There is an over blown expensive 500 hour in-house training that an extra 9 officers are being funded to participate only to be expendable.?! The high expense of training just got higher...hmm..let's see...4 into 13 is 3.25...or 3 and 1/4th more expenses than needed...thats 325% more than needed.
Fix the attrition rate by fixing the LPD's problems in lieu of throwing money at it.
The problems have never exclusively been that of the LPD. The city manger and commission are complicit with many problems in the LPD, now they are throwing your dollars around like there is no budget problems and as if the corruption problems have been fixed instead of covered up.
bootlegger 2 years, 7 months ago
Why do they need so many; is there a big turnover?
howie1 2 years, 7 months ago
Congrats to the new cadets... I wish you all luck
Liberty275 2 years, 7 months ago
I hope they are hired to serve the public's needs and not merely used as a means of drumming up extra revenue with unwarranted speeding or traffic traps.
matahari 2 years, 7 months ago
ahem, I thought they were cutting back on the numbers? and why always 13? Isn't tthat an unlucky number?
UNIKU 2 years, 7 months ago
Here comes the rant....
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