Topeka police chief says fence needed to protect non-public side of Law Enforcement Center

Readers posting comments expressed mostly criticism on The Topeka Capital-Journal Facebook page after news this past week that Topeka police were considering options for putting up a perimeter fence at the Law Enforcement Center, 320 S. Kansas Ave.

“Why do they feel the need for a fence?” wrote Virginia Williams. “If they’re scared there maybe they’re in the wrong line of work.” But Shawnee County Sheriff Herman Jones emphasized Saturday that plans call for the fenced LEC complex to remain open to the public, with people still being able to come and go freely to the sheriff’s office and police department headquarters there.

The fence’s presence would reduce risk for those agencies while enabling them to more effectively funnel visitors in and out of designated locations on the LEC property, at a time when law enforcement agencies need to be particularly careful about security, Jones said.