The City of Lawrence will be providing, operating and maintaining the camera system in an attempt to
create a safe and secure environment as well as to protect the health, safety and welfare of all those who
live, work, visit and transact business within the City. The monitoring devices will be strategically
placed throughout the City at the direction of the Chief of Police for the purpose of assisting the
Lawrence Police Department (“LPD”) in detecting and deterring crime throughout the City, and most
importantly an invaluable tool for an investigator to solve crimes. There are numerous examples of
surveillance footage aiding in an offender’s conviction. Surveillance footage can also help identify
potential witnesses who might not otherwise come forward to police. Surveillance footage evidence can
be compelling, though issues of image quality are a factor surveillance images are used for identification
purposes. If the cameras record an incident, and police respond rapidly and make an arrest within view
of the camera (and the offender does not leave the sight of the camera), the recording of the incident can
help investigators gain a conviction, usually through a guilty plea. The potential to assist in police
investigations may also drive offenders away from committing offenses that take time, as they run a
greater risk of capture. These cameras will not be used to enforce traffic violations. These locations will
be determined through an analysis of crime patterns and commonly known “Hot Spots” throughout the
City. Additionally, the Chief of Police will be asking for input from the Mayor, the City Council,
Business Leaders and Neighborhood group regarding the placement of these cameras

The cameras will act as crime prevention, scene reconstruction, and evidence gathering tools and will
also be a key resource which will aid the LPD and other municipal officials in securing vulnerable sites
by producing real time views of both crime scenes and emergency scenes, allowing LPD command staff
to manage the police response in an efficient and timely manner.

The camera system shall consist of City-owned monitoring devices. The particular type of monitoring
device installed at a location shall be determined by and at the sole discretion of the Chief of Police or
his designee. The camera system shall also have the capability to be accessed remotely through a webbased
virtual private network (VPN) connection. The Chief of Police shall limit this type pf access to
authorized users only. There will be a monitor placed in the Office of the Officer in Charge (OIC) of
each shift, as well as the dispatch center. The data will be stored for 30 days. There are two types of
cameras; those that may be fixed to monitor a static location and those installed with a pan-tilt-zoom
capability to survey a wider range of view and/or a closer view. These cameras will be clearly marked
with the with Lawrence Police Department logo in a conspicuous manner as an additional crime
deterrent. At this time we anticipate that there will be 28 triple head cameras at 28 locations, which as
stated will be determined at a later date.
The Department is conscious of the City’s budgetary constraints and is constantly looking for strategies
to enhance crime prevention while increasing efficiency. Having cameras at 28 locations throughout the
City will provide invaluable monitoring capabilities that will assist the Department in deterring,
responding to, and solving crimes.