I am extraordinarily saddened and angered by the recent incident at Lakewood Mall. I have visited with the injured deputy and his family and assured them that the Lakewood community will do all that we can to support them. I have also assured the Lakewood Station captain that the City of Lakewood will provide whatever resources we can to ensure a successful prosecution of the cowardly punk who committed this crime. I know there are ongoing concerns about the safety of the Lakewood Center Mall. The statistics show that crime is relatively low at the mall but there still exists a widespread perception that it does not provide a safe shopping environment. My own family shares that concern. For the past 13 years, I have shared my concerns with mall ownership. We placed a Sheriffs sub-station in the mall, deployed three full-time deputies there (the mall shares the cost), and two years ago we put cameras around the entire perimeter of the mall that run every license plate as vehicles travel into the area. As a result, lots of folks are going to jail. More needs to be done. As a city, we desperately need the mall to be successful. We simply cant afford it to fail. However, I want a successful mall at which Lakewood residents WANT to shop. I am scheduling another meeting with mall ownership within the next week or so and will be renewing my conversation with them. The entire city council is with me. We will figure out ways to make it better. I will keep you posted on our efforts. As always, your thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Please keep them coming. Todd
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:34:48 +0000
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