To the editor:

As a retired Lawrence police officer, I am frustrated with the disparity between what is expected of the police force and the conditions the officers work in. The last time the police department had a facility designed to accommodate its needs was in 1951 when the police and fire departments moved into 745 Vermont (now the Senior Center). We had an indoor range and our own jail.

In 1976 we moved to the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center (LEC), a combined effort with Douglas County, the city and Civil Defense each paying one-third to fund the $2.4 million building. The move resulted in a net loss of jail space and the loss of the indoor range. The LEC range was condemned before it opened because of design flaws in the ventilation system. The LEC was not designed for law enforcement by people who understood the needs of law enforcement.  

As needs grew, measures to accommodate them were all done on the cheap with little regard for efficiency. The end result being man-hours and taxpayer money wasted without solving the problem. The proposed facility has been carefully designed specifically for police use. It is time to do this right. It is time to make public safety a priority and support the men and women that protect us. Nov. 4, I will vote yes for the police facility sales tax.