The Shawnee Police Department is proposing to launch a new advisory board that would, among other things, look into complaints of officer bias. The proposed Community Advisory Board for Racial Profiling Review and Policy Development would focus on the following objectives for the Shawnee Police Department: advise and assist in policy development, education and community outreach, and communications related to the preemption and prohibition of racial and biased-based policing “In an effort to provide another means of transparency related to Police Department operations, the Board would be used to review and advise the Chief of Police regarding the investigation process and [...]

Johnson County residents looking for a way to get vaccinated now have another tool at their disposal: Kansas’ new Find My Vaccine Map. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s interactive map shows a list of COVID-19 vaccine providers who may be able to administer doses to eligible people in the first two phases of the statewide vaccination response. The new online tool from KDHE includes information on providers who are administering vaccines, broken into three categories: providers that have recently received a batch of vaccines, providers who have not received recent shipments and providers who are not publicly sharing their vaccine dose [...]

After a tumultuous year marked by a global pandemic, civil unrest and social upheaval, artists are crafting messages of peace through a new community art project in Lenexa. The city is launching the Peace Pole Community Art Project Exhibit this month and is calling on artists to design a “peace pole” to inspire hope this year. The city has partnered with local rotary clubs and the Lenexa Arts Council to launch the project. Susanne Neely, recreation supervisor, said the project first came about when the Lenexa Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Western Johnson County approached the city with interest [...]