Our Police Department, and Our Support

[Mark Crnolatas]

I believe that the 'Wood is at a point that is of utmost importance, regarding it's future as a peaceable livable inner ring suburb.

Right now, it's a great place to live, bring up a family, walk to shopping, all the plus things we have read on another thread.

I also believe our police department needs to be supported in every way possible. Those that have said we need 30 new police officers, I might say if we need 30 to get by correctly, then we need 40.

Our officers should have the BEST and LATEST equipment of any police department in the state, hands down. Our officers should have the best and latest advanced training in the state, for whatever they feel would help them do their job safer, and more efficiently.

Whenever anyone writes or refers to our police department, a comment should be able to be made similar to this : "The Lakewood Police Department is the best trained, most well equipped and best prepared police department in the state of Ohio."

Why? The answer is rather simple. We are indeed an inner-ring suburb.
While at the present we are NOT a war-zone, we COULD become one, if we do not support our police department with everything I mentioned above.

If we only give the police department the minimum improvements, then we will lose, irregardless of the optimists who have never seen the near west side of Cleveland, and keep saying "it cannot happen here".

Crimes exist by opportunity. If our police department has MORE than enough manpower on the street, a constant visability, the proper equipment including the latest and best vehicles to do the job, then Lakewood will be an exception to the "inner-ring suburb syndrome", since many criminals will "get the word" and go elsewhere to do their thing.

Will this all stop domestic violence? Maybe not, but if a patrol vehicle is seen by the bad guys making a slow cruise followed by more patrol vehicles augmented by unmarked cars, the bad guys looking to commit auto thefts, sell drugs or whatever, will see the city as the wrong place to do their thing and move elsewhere, where the citizens believe "it can't happen to them" and less will happen to us.

I say this all with well over 25 years talking with, working with, seeing more than most, mainly in Cleveland, in the law enforcement business.
I've seen marginal neighborhoods turn into war-zones. I've also seen a few marginal neighborhoods reverse trend and become peaceful, but only in small areas.

I don't have links for everyone to click on, I simply feel the need to make my feelings known and welcome comments, and open a dialogue so our people in City Hall might read this, and take it under consideration.

From reading so many threads on crime and crime prevention in our city, it's more than just a "lets keep it nice" game here now.

This is some serious business, and what we do now, will determine where we will be in a very short time, a year or two, three or four tops, and we can either be "that city on the lake thats fun, quiet at times and safe to do and walk anywhere", or we can ignore the future, the spreading of crime from central city outward, and a couple years from now be known as "just another inner-ring suburb".

The bottom line is whatever the police department wants or needs, should be given to them with our complete support and enthusiasm.

We sleep safe because of what our police officers do for us. Now the question is, what can we do for THEM, to help them PREVENT us from becoming what can be a negative in the future.

Mark Allan Crnolatas