City Hall and offices, Lenexa Community Center and Lenexa Senior Center are closed Monday, Sept. 2. Check hours of operation for Lenexa Public Market and Lenexa Rec Center.
Published on August 26, 2024
Lenexa City leaders celebrated the opening of the new Lenexa Justice Center at a ribbon cutting event Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. Members of the public can now visit the facility for police and court services.
Construction on the Justice Center began in September 2022. Located at the southwest corner of Prairie Star Parkway and Britton Street, the new facility is designed to be a modern, welcoming, state-of-the-art headquarters for the Lenexa Police Department and Lenexa Municipal Court. Behind the main building is a separate police training facility.
While the Police Department and Municipal Court are located in the same building and have the same public entrance, they have separate mailing addresses.
You will need to visit the Justice Center to:
Group tours of the new facility will be available starting in late September.
Sign up for a group tour
The former Police Department and Municipal Court buildings at 87th Street Parkway and Monrovia Street are now closed to the public. Site plan options are being studied this fall to build a new Fire Station No. 6 on the former city hall/public safety complex property.
Justice Center video and photo gallery
The Justice Center consists of two buildings: a two-story, 93,275-square foot facility that house police and court operations, and a single-story 22,820-square-foot training building for police.
The Justice Center’s unique shape is designed to fit into the landscape’s topography, with limestone-veneered lower walls intended to look as if they’d risen from the mines below the site. Several sloped rooflines create interesting views from the street. Bands of windows and a glass entrance with wood elements make the building feel welcoming and bring natural light inside.
A safe and comfortable atmosphere greets visitors to the lobby. Visitors can do business with a public service officer or court clerk at service windows. The layout allows clear sightlines throughout the space and into the parking lot for security.
Located near the lobby entrance, the Community Room is a dynamic, inviting place for hosting public events, trainings and workshops.
The previous Municipal Court building presented numerous security concerns, and it was unintuitive for visitors to navigate. The new building’s efficient, secure layout will allow court security officers to focus on safety instead of giving verbal instructions to visitors.
The new courtroom seats 96 people. It’s upgraded with modern technology to assist in presentation of evidence during trials and facilitate virtual court experiences. Designated areas for attorneys, clients, officers and witnesses help everyone to feel more comfortable as they wait to testify.
Dispatchers are working out of a state-of-the art communications center. The new space incorporates emergency management technology and is able to withstand critical weather events.
Lack of storage was a constant concern at the former police facility. There’s ample secure space for property, records, evidence and equipment at the Justice Center. Specialized storage can accommodate oversized objects and items that need refrigerated. A biometric system securely logs in new items. And when citizens need to pick up personal property, they can pick it up in an easy-to-access secure vestibule instead of the lobby.
Staff will enjoy meals and breaks with their coworkers in an inviting officer hub area. The Lenexa Police Department strives to foster a diverse and inclusive environment that promotes camaraderie between staff. It’s located conveniently next to the multimedia briefing room.
The Justice Center was designed for maximum flexibility and modern policing practices. The previous building’s awkward floorplan separated units and support staff, hampering day-to-day tasks, productivity and the ability to expand. The new building is designed to accommodate new units and additional staff as the community’s needs and policing methods shift over time. Units that frequently work together are placed near each other to enhance teamwork and efficiency.
The Justice Center provides spaces to support the physical and mental wellbeing of the officers who serve the community. A bright, well-outfitted gym with an outdoor turf area invites officers to prioritize their fitness and prevent on-the-job injuries. Throughout the building, there are quiet rooms where staff can have privacy after handling a difficult situation or rest between a long shift and court.
The building’s design balances flexibility with the unique needs of existing units. Even the K-9s have a space specially designed for their role near the Community Policing Unit.
Several areas in the secure are of the building are designed to put visitors more at ease. Victims will be able to meet detectives in safe, comforting, dedicated spaces instead of standard interview rooms. Appropriate spaces are also provided for mental health co-responders to conduct outreach and follow up with citizens in crisis.
The detention area was designed for officers to have maximum visibility of all eight cells from a central built-in booking desk. Intake areas with clear shields offer protection when a detainee is uncooperative or aggressive.
Lockers for officers’ duty bags are placed conveniently along the back of the building, adjacent to the secure parking lot entrance. The Lenexa Police Department sign from the previous building was installed above the lockers.
Secure parking for 228 vehicles is located behind the main building. Covered parking areas protect police vehicles from inclement weather. The stalls are extra wide to allow officers to easily enter vehicles parked next to each other. The lot also includes infrastructure for future electric vehicle charging stations.
The Lenexa Police Department is a proactive, well-trained and well-equipped agency, and the separate training facility behind the main building will help enhance those qualities. They can develop new officers on-site and offer continuous training opportunities. Staff believes it will be a valuable recruiting tool as we continue to seek high-quality officers who embody the department’s values and culture.
The training building also houses strategically configured spaces for technicians to maintain equipment, technology and vehicles.
The largest training room can seat 100 people. This space will allow Lenexa to host outside agencies for trainings, promoting Lenexa as a local leader in the field and boosting recruitment. The building also includes a mat room with light and sound variables where officers can practice defensive tactics in different simulated environments.