KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man who served more than two decades with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is the new Lawrence, Kansas, police chief.
Rich Lockhart will start his new job Jan. 16, 2022.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Rich to the City of Lawrence,” Craig Owens, Lawrence city manager, said in a news release. “Rich brings a wealth of experience from his previous positions, and we are excited to have him join our team and help us make Lawrence a community where all people feel safe and secure.”
Lockhart currently serves as the police chief in Warrensburg, Missouri, a job he's held since April 2016.
“I am looking forward to working with the Lawrence community and the members of the Lawrence Police Department,” Lockhart stated in the release. “I want to thank Mr. Owens and the members of the search committee for this incredible opportunity.”
He became a familiar face to television viewers during his tenure as the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department's spokesperson.
Lockhart provided information about homicides and other crimes across the city at all hours of the day and night.
He served in a variety of other roles in his 26 years in the department, where he rose to the rank of major.
Lockhart has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas and earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Harding University.
