A 29-year veteran of the Overland Park Police Department, John Lacy utilizes his role as a Public Information Officer to help bridge the gap between the police department and the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father of two was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and graduated from Missouri Western State University. Lacy moved to the Kansas City area in 1993 when he joined the Overland Park Police Department (OPPD). He was one of four individuals who beat out over 500 applicants to make it into OPPD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always felt it was a calling,\u201d said Lacy. \u201cEver since I was in second grade, I knew I wanted to be a police officer. You could say I\u2019m living my dream right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lacy spent his first five years on patrol before moving to the Traffic Safety Unit. He then became a School Resource Officer for the Blue Valley School District, where he spent eight years before being promoted to his current role as Public Information Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy main motive is to contact the community with accurate information when it comes to crime and press releases,\u201d said Lacy. \u201cI like interacting with people. I like talking with them and explaining why we do the things that we do. I want the public to be educated and the citizens to know the law. I want them to be able to articulate the law and know what\u2019s right and what\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lacy also handles the department\u2019s social media platforms. He speaks on podcasts and talks to anyone who wants information. He works directly for the Chief of Police and is the liaison between the community and the Chief. Every day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to strengthen the police department\u2019s relationship with those in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born with a heart for serving others, Lacy is always looking for ways to give back to the community, whether he\u2019s on duty or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne time I met a lady and her kids that I knew didn\u2019t have money for food and the basics,\u201d Lacy recalls. \u201cShe opened her fridge while we were talking and there was no food. After duty, I went to a local grocery store and bought at least two weeks\u2019 worth of groceries. I came back to her home and dropped it off at her door, rang the doorbell and left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A member of the NAACP Johnson County Northeast, Lacy recently won the Law Enforcement Award from the Olathe NAACP for his work with minorities in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the black community, there\u2019s always been a stigma towards law enforcement,\u201d Lacy said. \u201cWith things that have happened in recent years, the black community has developed an \u2018us vs. police\u2019 mentality. I would like to see more minorities become police officers. But at the same time, as long as the officers are reaching out to their communities, it shows that we are making an effort. We as law enforcement have to understand what the black community went through, starting from post-civil war all the way up to today\u2019s world. We have to improve that in order to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lacy is proudly an active member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity-Beta Lambda Chapter. Membership fees go directly to helping inner city youth, providing things like food, clothes and school supplies. He is also a member of the Kansas Association of Public Information Officers (KAPIO) and the National Information Officers Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his free time, Lacy has enjoyed being a mentor to two young men who didn\u2019t have any role models in their life. He has made a tremendous impact on the trajectory of their lives and remains a father figure to them to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For his devoted service to the Kansas City community, Lacy is being honored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals as a \u201cBlue KC Hometown Hero.\u201d He was recognized at Kauffman Stadium Friday, August 5.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t