Public safety
Latest

A Lawrence Times reporter was ordered to leave the city campsite for unhoused people. ‘That’s a problem,’ First Amendment attorney says
Lawrence Times reporter Chansi Long was targeted by city staff and ordered by police to leave the North Lawrence campsite for people experiencing homelessness Tuesday night while other members of the public were allowed to remain. “That’s a problem,” a local First Amendment expert said.
MORe Public Safety
Click here for the Lawrence police blotter — new log uploaded each day around 1 p.m.

Two people shot, seriously injured in southwestern Douglas County
Two people suffered gunshot wounds during a disturbance at a home in southwestern Douglas County early Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.

Person injured in stabbing in Lawrence, police say
A person was injured in a stabbing Tuesday night in Lawrence, and a person of interest has been detained for questioning, according to police.

Lawrence police work with domestic violence center to prevent and identify human trafficking
In the years following a high-profile murder case, the Lawrence Police Department and The Willow Domestic Violence Center joined forces to help victims of human trafficking. The two organizations worked to fine-tune a longstanding relationship with the addition of a victims’ advocate in 2020.

Parking in New Hampshire Street garage is free this week, but the lower level is closed
Parking in the New Hampshire Street garage will be free for the remainder of this week — except for the garage’s lower level, which is closed until further notice following a nearby fire.

KU Law students to offer free help with criminal record expungements
Students with the KU School of Law’s Legal Aid Clinic are preparing to help folks get their criminal records expunged, free for those who qualify.

Justice Matters to hold meeting on Vera Institute study of incarceration in Douglas County
Lawrence advocacy group Justice Matters invites community members to an educational meeting about a study that highlighted stark racial disparities in incarceration and found that most bookings into the Douglas County jail are for minor, nonviolent charges, among other conclusions.

West Middle School evacuated after report of ‘threat that could be considered a bomb threat’
West Middle School students have evacuated the building as a safety precaution “following a report of a written threat that could be considered a bomb threat left on a technology device yesterday,” according to the school district.

Unhoused residents of North Lawrence campsite say city staff members are ‘just eyeballing us,’ have stopped support
Some residents of the North Lawrence campsite for people experiencing homelessness say city staff members have stopped providing basic support, including food and water. It’s causing them to shift their focus to survival, rather than improving their situations.

Snow on the way to Lawrence; some accumulation expected
A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 6 p.m. Tuesday through 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Topeka.

Kids regularly run away from Kansas foster homes. Some have died. The state hopes to improve
More than 50 foster kids are missing in Kansas at a given time. The state said it is making progress to fix the problem, but critics say it could do more.