Lawrence Police and the local Crime Stoppers program will host a Shred It Day fundraiser and electronics-recycling event on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Community Park, 5301 North Franklin Road in Lawrence. Organizers said the event is intended to help residents securely dispose of sensitive documents and data-bearing devices and to raise funds for Crime Stoppers.

"We're gonna have Shred It Day here at Community Park. 5301 North Franklin Road," Deputy Chief Travis Klein said, announcing the location. Gary Woodruff, a retired chief with the Lawrence Police, said the site is well known to East Side residents and should allow easy traffic flow for attendees.

Organizers said volunteers from local law enforcement and the community will staff the drive-through event. "We'll have 4 or 500 cars come through," Woodruff said, an estimate that in the transcript was spoken as "4 or 500" cars.

The event charges a $5 donation per box for paper shredding, Woodruff said. Electronic recycling will accept devices that store digital data; Woodruff said there is a $20 fee for items with screens to cover disposal costs. "There's a $20 fee for anything with a screen on it. That's the disposal fee that it costs" the recycler, he said.

Speakers emphasized the security benefit of destroying sensitive records. "It could be tax returns. It could be sensitive documents, things with dates of birth, Social Security numbers," Woodruff said, adding that preventing identity theft is preferable because "it's hard to clean it up after you've been a victim," a point Deputy Chief Klein also made.

Woodruff said the drive supports the local Crime Stoppers program and described the program's role in investigations. He said Crime Stoppers collects anonymous tips that are passed to law enforcement and that tipsters may be eligible for cash rewards if tips lead to arrests. "People want to share information with the police department...safely and anonymously, and they're eligible for cash rewards," he said.

Woodruff noted this is the fifteenth year the organizers have hosted the event in Lawrence and thanked volunteers and the community for their support, inviting residents to attend Saturday.

Details provided in the meeting: date and time (March 15, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.), location (Community Park, 5301 North Franklin Road), fees ($5 donation per box for paper shredding; $20 fee for items with screens), and that the drive accepts electronic devices for recycling. Organizers estimated hundreds of vehicles but did not provide a precise turnout forecast in the meeting.