Lakewood Police Chief Patrick D. Smith recently shared a summary of statistics about crime in Lakewood with the Lakewood City Council.
The summary looks at crime numbers for the first quarter 2024. The numbers are compared against the prior quarter, as well as the same period in 2023.
Overall crime is down in Lakewood from the same period in 2023. That includes overall calls for service, which were down 6% compared to first quarter of 2023.
Arrests were up 23%. This increase is due to officers arresting people committing crimes. This includes a 50% increase in arrests of people with existing warrants, and a 23% increase in people committing misdemeanors.
There was a slight increase in property crimes against people, but that increase is due to assaults. In most cases, the assaults are domestic violence incidents involving people that know each other. Smith noted specific to the first quarter, there were at least five or six calls tied to one household specifically where officers responded multiple times.
Lakewood police have prioritized reducing property crimes across the city. As a result, property crimes are down nearly 40%. This is attributed to an increase in police staffing, additional technology resources that assist in catching criminals and a focus on reducing these types of crimes in the city.
Motor vehicle thefts are also down 60%. That means there are 200 less victims and cars stolen compared to the same period in 2023, Smith said. This is a result of officers using technology to assist with identifying stolen vehicles, and arresting suspects, according to Smith
Is property crime REALLY down in Lakewood or like my neighbors, we stopped reporting it. Our insurance companies use these neighborhood reports to raise our fees, and our deductible usually covers the small stuff. There is little to no advantage to reporting and it’s used against us. Why bother? To use the numbers to justify hiring more Deputies who are prevented from doing their jobs or courts that release criminals. Like shooting our own feet.