From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 28, 1989:

The Lawrence Police Department computer system was soon to receive a much-needed upgrade. The in-house system, according to police Lt. Mark Brothers, was so badly underpowered that work could not be done on all of the 38 terminals at one time. Although the computer system had been updated almost yearly since its 1977 installation, the coming upgrade would be the biggest, Brothers said. The new equipment was to triple the current system’s power, and the hope was that the increase would make additional upgrades unnecessary for at least five years. The new “piggy-back” system came at a cost of $17,810, not including the additional cost of about $55,000 in order to expand it throughout the department. The original computer, Brothers said, had the memory capacity of a (1989) desktop personal computer. “Even when the front office alone is on it, sometimes it’s impossible for people in other areas to get on,” said Chris Mulvenon, administrative assistant to Chief Ron Olin. Crashes had become frequent, Brothers added, with the system having been down about a dozen times in the past four months. The system was used to store arrest warrants and alarm locations, police reports, and information about personnel, training, evidence, and other items. Police officials were not planning any additions to the new system, but Brothers said expansion might happen someday. One possibility, he said, was a program that would allow dispatchers to know whether previous crimes had occurred at a certain address before sending officers to that location.