July 2025 Edition

Chief’s Chat

By Rich Lockhart
LKPD Chief of Police

Chief LockhartEveryone knows who Patrick Mahomes is. He is the MVP, the person who gets the credit when the Chiefs win and the blame when they lose. Mahomes is just one of 22 starters on the roster, and he couldn’t do his job as well without Creed Humphrey, the man who hands him the ball on nearly every play. Most people don’t know who Humphrey is, but his role is just as important as Patrick’s. In this edition of City Beat, you will get to meet some of LKPD’s “Creed Humphrey’s.” The Professional Staff for the LKPD do everything from answering phones to keeping the electronics in a police car running. Without these important people, the LKPD would not be the top-notch department it is. I want to personally say thank you to all 31 of these members who do their jobs well, so that we can do ours.

The First Responder Chaplain Association is another organization that assists the LKPD with providing excellent service to our community. FRCA does everything from providing wellness support to first responders in Douglas County to assisting families who are victims and survivors of crime in our community.

When you think about Santa Claus, you probably think about Christmas. At LKPD when we think about Santa, we think about Blue Santa, a non-profit that provides support to our community. The flagship program of Blue Santa is called Lights On! and allows officers to provide vouchers for minor equipment repairs rather than tickets, at no cost to the vehicle owner. You will read about this and other initiatives they champion to help our community members in need of a hand-up.

We are also going to introduce you to our LGBTQ Liaison officer Allison Haddad. PO Haddad is a military member and a valued member of our department. You will get to know her a little better through the Behind the Badge section.

Lastly, we are going to talk about crime in our community. You will learn how the first six months of 2025 compare to 2024. You will also be able to read about some of our efforts to keep Lawrence safe.

I hope you enjoy this third quarter overview of people and activities within your Lawrence Kansas Police Department. You will find out just some of the ways we continue our work to make Lawrence a community where all people feel safe, secure and have access to trusted public and community-based safety resources.