Publishers: cover photo by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE ON THE COVER L to R: Lieutenant Myrone Grady, Deputy Dir. of DCEM – Jillian Rodrique, Police Chief Rich Lockhart, Fire Chief Richard Llewellyn, Sheriff Jay Armbrister, Undersheriff Stacy Simmons, Officer Lindsay Bishop, McKenzi Ezell – Fire Medical Data Analyst; Photo by Steven Hertzog PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY In 2015, we did an Impact issue on Public Safety; nine years later, it is a different world with a new perspective. We decided it was time to revisit the subject, see what has changed a ..read more

Newsmakers 2024Q1 Cutting the Ribbon at Willow GOOD ENERGY SOLUTIONS Solar Giveaway Program – Willow Domestic Violence Center Good Energy Installation GOOD ENERGY SOLUTIONS Solar Giveaway Program – Willow Domestic Violence Center Good Energy Solutions, one of the leading solar design and installation companies in Kansas and Missouri, cut the ribbon on the new solar panel installation for the office of The Willow Domestic Violence Center. As part of Good Energy Solutions’ yearly giveaway project that donates solar panel systems to deserving Douglas County nonprofits, The Willow’s office, l ..read more

Local Scene 2024Q1   ..read more

    story by photos by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE Becoming a fabric of the community and guided by its residents, local police departments join together using a team approach to police the community the way it wants to be policed. The new Lawrence Police Department Headquarters Anthony Harvey Jr. grew up in East Lawrence, in an area where many of his neighbors held a rather negative view of local police. And that’s putting it nicely. “We were not fond of police,” Harvey Jr. says. “We didn’t know about them. There were not many interactions. The sheriff ..read more

    story by Jeff Burkhead photos by Jeff Burkhead OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE The Treatment & Recovery Center (TRC) of Douglas County provides immediate access to care for those in crisis, providing safety, care coordination and resources to create a path to recovery. Treatment and Recovery Center Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s crisis services play an important part in public safety, especially for those with behavioral health-care needs. Services include the Treatment & Recovery Center (TRC) of Douglas County, which is operated by the Bert Nash Ce ..read more

    story by photos by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE The North Lawrence Flood of 1951 wreaked havoc on not just Lawrence but communities all along the Kansas River. Residents and businesses were displaced, and cleanup and restoration took months. Breaks in the Union Pacific Levy- Looking north on the railway Central and Eastern Kansas experienced enormous amounts of precipitation in the summer of 1951. The area received above-normal rainfall in May and June, which caused rivers and streams to be higher than normal, ground water levels high, and the ground ..read more

    story by photos by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office combines the new with the old to create an atmosphere that’s inclusive of all community members, including those who work within it and those who depend upon it. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and DC County Jail The last decade for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DGSO) has seen both major change and the maintenance of the traditions of an office established in 1855. The main difference to the public is the person in office: That has switched from a Republica ..read more

    story by photos by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE An invaluable local agency, Douglas County Emergency Management educates the community, plans for varied situations and assembles support systems for possible large-scale emergencies. The team at work in the Douglas County Emergency Management Center Ideally, when an emergency occurs, local residents won’t respond in a way that looks like the old cartoons: people running every which way screaming and arms flailing. Hoping that people respond calmly isn’t enough, though. Educating people ahead of time, p ..read more

    story by photos by Steven Hertzog OPEN A PDF OF THE ARTICLE The slower pace of small-town life and familiarity of townspeople allows public safety officers to get to know the people who live there while also receiving fewer service calls. Baldwin and Eudora There’s something special about small towns. The friendly relationships among neighbors and slower pace make them unique compared to larger cities. Somewhat naturally, these distinctive attributes bleed into the experiences of those working in public safety in rural communities. Police officers getting called ..read more

Local Scene 2023Q4   ..read more