photo by: City of Lawrence screenshot

Lawrence Police Department Chief Rich Lockhart presenting the City Commission the findings of a two-day workshop facilitated by the Department of Justice that aimed to improve the relationship between the community and the police.

City leaders expressed appreciation Tuesday for the work being done to improve relationships between Lawrence police and the community, including efforts to handle mental health calls differently and to give people a chance to interact with officers outside of their normal duties.

At the Lawrence City Commission’s meeting, LPD Chief Rich Lockhart presented an update about two workshops held last summer that were facilitated by the Department of Justice through the Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships Program and some of the actions the department will look to take in response.

The program was a community-led initiative that was intended to identify areas the police should work on and come up with solutions to break down barriers in the community.

Although Lockhart said the police and community plan to hold another session later in the summer related to the program, some of the solutions the group discussed are already being implemented.

One item of concern in the community was how the department was handling mental health calls and concerns. To address those calls, Lockhart said the department was working with partners, like the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, on a mental health response team.

The Mobile Response Team, which was first formed in 2022, responded to 743 incidents or “referrals” — a 79.5% increase compared to 414 in 2023, as the Journal-World reported. Lockhart said the team provides a better alternative to police for certain sensitive situations that officers aren’t as equipped to handle.

“They’re handling a lot of calls, and handling them a lot better because they’re trained clinicians and social workers,” Lockhart said.

Another highlight was finding ways to see officers in settings other than their normal law enforcement duties. Lockhart highlighted that the department’s school resource officer program was seen as a positive in their working group. Additionally, the department’s introduction of a therapy dog named Rosie helped break barriers and led to more positive interactions, since people would go up and pet Rosie instead of potentially being stressed by seeing police, Lockhart said. The department also introduced an updated monthly report that will include indicators of the police’s overall performance.

Commissioner Amber Sellers said she attended one session of the workshop last summer, noting she felt the group involved was diverse and people in the community “had a space to share their feelings.” She was appreciative of the ongoing efforts to work on finding the right solutions, especially some “non-flashy” things like having the mental health team respond to select calls.

Mayor Mike Dever also appreciated the focus for more creative responses, and he said he hoped there was also urgency to provide additional information in the reports to improve performance and transparency.

“If we can find more ways to share information, I’d like to share that,” Dever said.

In other business, commissioners:

• Approved a funding agreement between the city and the Kansas Department of Transportation to disburse around $3.4 million in funds for a road redesign of Massachusetts Street.

The Kansas DOT awarded $2,376,000 in federal funds in October 2024 and a further $1 million in Carbon Reduction Program Funds in November 2024 for improving multimodal transportation, such as bike transportation, along Massachusetts Street.

In December 2024, the commissioners unanimously approved a plan to redesign Massachusetts Street from 14th Street to 23rd Street that would shrink space for cars from four to three lanes and add protected bike lanes, as the Journal-World reported.

The city memo said the construction for the project, which is expected to begin in 2026, would cost about $6.1 million. The city has set aside the approximately $2.7 million for the project in its budget for this year and next year.

A final design of the plan is expected to be considered by the commissioners later this year.

• Approved an ordinance to allow the use of eminent domain to get temporary construction easements on certain properties needed for the Jayhawk Reach Watershed project.

In February, the City Commission approved a $17.3 million construction bid for this stormwater project that will replace a stormwater tunnel from just north of Eighth and Tennessee streets to the intersection of Ninth and Indiana streets, as the Journal-World reported.

Construction work on the project started in April, and as part of the work of replacing the stormwater tunnel, the city says it needs temporary easements for portions of a dozen properties so it can finish the work.

The full list of properties includes 835 Louisiana St., 602 W. Ninth St., 832 Indiana St., 836 Indiana St., 611 W. Ninth St., 615 W. Ninth St., 908 Indiana St., 912 Indiana St., 847 Indiana St. and 828 Indiana St.