Why

Police Officers their lives at risk every day. No stop is ever “simple” in the eyes of a trained Law Enforcement Officer. It could mean they’ll endure physical or verbal abuse, be assigned to run toward life-threatening violence, or not go home to their family at all.

“Police are tasked with managing the most complicated object in the known universe: human beings,” says Jared Madsen, a new officer training on the streets, after just graduating from the Lawrence Kansas Police Department’s 47th Basic Recruit Academy.

“We volunteer t o confront humanity’s chaos head-on,” Madsen continues to make decisions moments where there often isn’t an ideal choice. That’s the responsibility we accept—a responsibility as
heavy as the badge itself.”

So why do they do it? The next call could also mean a life-saved, or a speeding teen realizes the dangers of her actions and develops a life-long habit of cautious driving.

Entering the academy is not a decision any of LKPD’s newest officers on the street took lightly. But it’s a dream Officer Madsen has had as long as he can remember. “Back then, officers seemed larger than life protectors of the innocent, guardians of justice,” he recalls.

That child-like view was not instilled in fellow academy graduate, Officer Michael Demery. “The negative experiences I have had with law enforcement have only reinforced in me the strong moral desire to be the difference, to be the change, and to be the figure that the public can trust with their day-to-day lives,” he explains.

Officer Andres Casado’s experience at the academy began with a clear message. “They let us know that Lawrence Police Academy had the best instructors and the best graduation scores in the state, so we knew the standards were high. In the same week-the very first week-we got tased and maced with pepper spray,” he shares.

Despite the physical and mental challenges, all knew they wanted to be part of Chief Lockhart’s vision of policing Lawrence the way its residents want to be policed, including Officer Dakota Long. “I knew entering the Academy through the hiring process that this department as truly trying to evolve with the community’s needs, but I was shocked to see the extent to which they had already begun working on changing police work as a whole,” says Long. *The people of Lawrence should be excited about the important changes taking place here and carry an enormous sense of pride that their department hears them and is growing with them.”

The department’s core competency, ” We Believe in the Personal Touch” caught Officer Alvin Houston’s attention immediately. “They harped on that a lot. Every time I would ask them any advice or how I should go about things they would say, ‘Just be yourself, no matter what that is.’ Once I heard those words, I knew I was picking the best place possible,” Houston says.

Those words would also ground and motivate one of LKPD’s newest female recruits, Officer Kate Weston, who comes from a family tree filled with officers from other agencies, “All the training I received was from individuals I respect and admire, and I aspire to make them proud throughout my career with LKPD,” Weston says.

So, when asked, “why,” Officer Hunter Barnam says he returned to Lawrence after serving in the Navy with a clear and simple answer, “My ‘why’ is rooted in love – love for my family, pride in my city, and a desire to protect and serve. I have a renewed appreciation for the familiarity and warmth of our community. My time away made me realize how special Lawrence truly is and the incredible
potential it holds.”

No matter what the call, Madsen says there is one constant, “Humans are messy, emotional, and irrational— in other words, imperfect. And cops, for all the expectations placed upon them, are no different. We carry the same flaws, vulnerabilities, and imperfections as everyone else. If the academy taught me one thing, it’s this: take it one call at a time.”