Providing top-quality public safety services is an essential priority for the City of Lenexa. Having the right facility is fundamental to that goal.

At its July 20 meeting, the Lenexa City Council approved a contract with Finkle-Williams, a Lenexa business, to design a new justice center at Prairie Star and Britton Street that will incorporate facilities for police, court and police training.

Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in 2022. Operations will continue out of the current Public Safety Complex until construction is complete.

The Lenexa Public Safety Complex at 87th Street Parkway and Monrovia already lacks space and efficiency in key areas including emergency communications, evidence storage, courts and training facilities.

With Lenexa’s population continuing to steadily grow, the City engaged a consultant to study future space needs for police and court staffing, parking and operational enhancements. Opportunities to incorporate best practices and site options were also considered.

Building vs. remodeling

The public safety facility study’s final report was accepted in late 2020 and offered a number of recommendations for the new facility. The study found that building on an undeveloped site offered many advantages, including:

• No impacts to ongoing operations during construction.
• Multiple options and adequate space available for future building expansions.
• Cost savings of about 8 to 10% compared to the phased approach required at the existing site.

The new centralized site will also make it easier for residents to access services like walk-in reports, fingerprints, detective interviews and court services. Police response times will not be affected, as patrol officers are assigned specific districts to patrol.

A better purpose for the current site

The City of Lenexa is committed to maintaining a civic presence at the site of the current Public Safety Complex. This includes the future possibility of building a new fire station at the site.

In 2020, the Lenexa Fire Department began using the old City Hall building for some administrative purposes. They also started housing a crew and fire truck at the site as conditions allow. Testing has shown improved response times in northeast Lenexa as a result.

City leaders and fire staff are exploring options to temporarily improve the site to allow 365-day fire service.