photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence's SeeClickFix app as seen from a computer on Feb 28, 2024.

After pausing for several months, the city of Lawrence’s web app for requesting city services or reporting problems is back online, and it now allows residents to report some types of crimes, as well.

The app, SeeClickFix, was first launched in 2019 for residents to report common property and park maintenance issues in the city, including tree limbs that need trimming, potholes, missed trash collection and dead animals. The service was paused in June 2023 so the city could address user feedback about how the app worked, and the city relaunched the service on Feb. 20.

The app now also includes a section where residents can report certain non-emergency crimes. According to a news release from Lawrence police, the service can only be used to report a few specific types of crimes: theft of items or vehicles that aren’t inside a building; theft of items from inside a vehicle; criminal damage to property; credit card fraud; and shoplifting.

The release said, for instance, that if something is stolen from the area around a residence, like if “your bike or car is missing from outside,” then the incident can be reported with the app. But crimes that involve residential burglary, meaning that a person went inside a home to take something, would still require a traditional report.

For all reports, whether or not there’s a crime involved, the city encourages users to upload a photograph of the issue they are reporting. The release from Lawrence police said that businesses reporting shoplifting can also upload surveillance video.

The release said residents should refrain from reporting minor vandalism incidents that can be cleaned up without any financial loss.

The app is available on Android and Apple devices, or the service can be accessed with a computer at lawrenceks.org/request-services. For crimes that can’t be reported through the app, residents are asked to call the police department’s non-emergency dispatch number at 785-843-0250, or, in an emergency, call 911.