Oct. 23, 2024
Crime is down across the City of Lakewood, according to a summary of third quarter crime data collected and analyzed by the Lakewood Police Department.
Lakewood Police Chief Patrick D. Smith reported the most recent year-over-year statistics to the Lakewood City Council at its Oct. 21, 2024 regular meeting.
Overall, calls for service to the department are down nearly 10% from the same period in 2023.
The number of arrests is up roughly 12%. This is due to police officers increasing emphasis patrols like the department’s retail theft emphasis efforts.
Robberies are down 32% and property crimes are down 28%. These declines – specifically the property crime reduction – reflect the work the department is doing to deter crimes like shoplifting.
The largest drop in year-over-year data is for vehicle thefts. During the third quarter of 2023 the Lakewood Police Department saw a 40% increase in motor vehicle thefts. Fast forward to 2024 and the total number of reported stolen vehicles dropped by nearly 68% from the same period 2023.
Smith attributed this decline to a combination of factors. The most significant being camera technology placed around the city that scans license plates and notifies police when a reported stolen vehicle is identified.
A year ago, the number of people eluding police, or refusing to pull over after an officer activated their lights, was high. That number has since gone down, largely because of changes to state law. The change in the law means the number for police pursuits went up during the third quarter 2024, but Smith explained this is a “balancing out” due the state law changes and not a true increase in pursuits. Police continue to only pursue vehicles under specific circumstances and all officers have training on how to safely pursue a vehicle.
Lakewood police will continue proactively patrolling the city and working with local businesses to keep the community safe.