photo by: Mike Yoder

Lawrence police officers and trainees participate in a ceremony for the opening of the department's new headquarters at 5100 Overland Drive, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020.

As part of a community input meeting Thursday evening, consultants conducting the study of the Lawrence Police Department wanted to know what residents would change about how the department operates.

The meeting was run in part by Richard Word, of Citygate Associates, who asked participants to provide comments on four topics: their experiences with the Lawrence police; services they believe the police should continue to provide; programs that should be shifted away from police and provided by another organization; and residents’ aspirations for the future of the department.

“So don’t limit your thinking to what you see today, but think ahead too,” Word said.

Word said that residents’ comments were in addition to input consultants have been collecting from community leaders, elected officials and members of the police department. He said Citygate’s review also includes an analysis of city and police data, including traffic data, arrest data and calls for service.

About a dozen people participated in the virtual meeting, not all of whom commented. Of those who did, issues of concern or interest included the level of traffic enforcement, lack of officers on foot or bike patrol, the treatment of people with mental health issues, questions over the resignation of the last police chief, the level of training officers receive, and concerns about police targeting people of color for traffic stops and unwarranted searches.

The Lawrence City Commission called for a review of the police department last year in the wake of national and local calls for police reform and protests against police killings of Black people and other people of color. The commission agreed in October to pay Citygate Associates $117,833 for a comprehensive study of the police department and the creation of a new master plan.

The study is about at its halfway point, and after an analysis of police policies and data, input from residents and interviews with city leaders and staff, consultants will make recommendations on what could be major changes to the department, as the Journal-World reported. That includes the possibility of shifting duties from police to social service organizations or other agencies as well as recommendations for what qualities the city should look for in the re-envisioned department’s next police chief.

At the conclusion of the meeting Thursday, Assistant City Manager Brandon McGuire said the meeting was part of a broader public engagement process as part of the study and more events would be forthcoming. McGuire said residents could also send responses directly to consultants and learn more about the study on the project’s website, citygateassociates.com/safe-and-secure-lawrence. Responses can be sent by email to safeandsecurelawrence@citygateassociates.com or by leaving a voicemail at 832-7505 for those without email access.