Combating Crime In Lakewood, Officials Outline Safety Plans

LAKEWOOD, OH — Lakewood's political and police leadership held a safety meeting with the community on Thursday evening.

Mayor Meghan George said the recent spike in violence in Lakewood has been "troublesome" and has understandably rattled members of the community.

"Many don't feel as safe as they did even a few short weeks ago," George said.

To calm the community and combat crime, George vowed to improve lighting in Madison Park. She also said she would have police officers assigned specifically to patrolling the park, specifically noting that police should patrol on foot, when possible.

"We're instituting a program that would allow for officers in the parks during peak hours," George said. "We'd bring officers in on overtime to walk the parks and build relationships in the community. We're pursuing grants to fund that program, but we're allocating funds from other areas to fund it now."

Lakewood is also considering upgrading or installing surveillance cameras in parts of the city to aid police investigation.

"They're mainly used as an investigative tool, not for surveillance or monitoring people," George said. "They've been helpful already in investigating the incident at Madison Park."

"Isolated Incidents"

On March 11, there was a shooting at Madison Park. An argument broke out at the basketball court over who could play next, two of the suspects then shot at one man. He then pulled out a gun and shot at the other two people.

"It was a very frightening incident because there were other people in the park, other people playing basketball," said Police Chief Kevin Kaucheck.

One of the suspects was wounded in the shooting. He was treated at a local hospital and then charged. Investigators believe they have identified a second suspect and are chasing leads on the third suspect, Kaucheck said.

On March 16, there was a shooting at the MetroPCS store on Detroit. The suspect went into the store, got into an argument with a clerk and then pulled out a gun and started shooting at the clerk, Kaucheck said. The gun jammed, but the man walked outside, unjammed the gun, walked back in and fired three more rounds, the police chief said.

"Luckily, no one was hurt in that incident," Kaucheck said. He noted the suspect is a Lakewood resident who is in custody.

On St. Patrick's Day, there was a stabbing at the Riverwood Cafe. Two men got into a fight at the bar, they stepped outside to fight, and the suspect slashed the neck of the victim with a utility knife, Kaucheck.

The suspect is now in custody and has been charged with felonious assault.

On Wednesday, there was an attempted carjacking on Delaware Avenue. A man walked up to a resident's car, but the driver began honking her horn and screaming and the suspect ran away. The suspects then pulled into the parking lot of a business, ordered a woman out of her car, and when she screamed they hit her in the head with a rifle and stole her car.

The stolen car was found Thursday morning in Cleveland and a 17-year-old male from Cleveland Heights was taken into custody at that time by Cleveland police.

"These are all separate incidents. They look like a big rise in crime, the sky is falling. But what's really happening is we've had some unfortunate incidents," Kaucheck said.

Patrols and Cameras

To assuage concerns and squash rumors, George and police leadership also outlined current staffing for the police department. There are 93 full-time police officers working for Lakewood police, five part-time officers, 10 dispatchers, two corrections officers and four clerks.

Forty-eight officers are currently assigned to patrolling Lakewood. Police had unexpected retirements in 2020, but patrols were never reduced, George said.

"The hiring process is not something we take lightly, nor is it something that happens quickly," said Cpt. William Albrecht of Lakewood police. "I'm not aware of another department that does it more thoroughly than us."

An average of nearly nine police officers are on patrol at all times. That number did not fluctuate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are currently 102 surveillance cameras throughout Lakewood, including 11 in Madison Park and 10 within a half mile of Madison Park.

"These are investigative tools that we can look back on," Albrecht said.

"Lakewood, despite some of these recent incidents, is an overwhelmingly safe city, but that's something we have to work at every day," Lakewood City Council President Dan O'Malley said.