News Release from Chief Tim Malley

[Jim O'Bryan]

On 10-6-07 at 924PM Lakewood Police Officers responded to a call of a loud bang in the area of Hird and Lake and that a male was walking away west on Lake. Officers arrived and found a male a short distance west of Hird standing in the area bleeding from the head. The male was talking with officers and told them he had been hit in the head. Upon transport to Lakewood Hospital he was examined and found to have suffered and gunshot wound to the head. The victim, Eric Anderson, age 41 of Lake Ave, Lakewood was taken to surgery and is currently in ICU at Lakewood Hospital. Initial investigation shows the victim and suspect knew each other. The matter is currently under investigation by the Lakewood Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lakewood Police Detective Bureau at 216-529-6763.

Chief Timothy J. Malley

[Bryan Schwegler]

So let the argument begin...

Isolated incident or symptom of a crime problem?

[Jim O'Bryan]

So let the argument begin...

Isolated incident or symptom of a crime problem?

Isolated incident, drug related again, bad run for Lakewood.

We have to get in front of this NOW.

Still waiting for a plan from someone.

As I input this a male just fell off the 11th floor of the Envoy Apartments.

.

[chris richards]

Doesn't a whole bunch of isolated incidences add up to an overall crime problem?

Sure, they may not be related, but it is still crime. I don't think people are trying to claim that we have a gang problem, just that crime is up.

In the three years that I've lived in Lakewood, it does appear that crime has increased, or has increased visibility. And all crime is a problem.

That being said, I still feel safe in Lakewood. I've lived in big cities and small towns, and I have never felt as safe as I do here.

[Jim O'Bryan]

That being said, I still feel safe in Lakewood. I've lived in big cities and small towns, and I have never felt as safe as I do here.

Chris

I feel safe in Lakewood, but we have to address this as well. A bunch of isolated incidents do add up to a problem.

The question once again is, how does anything stop drug pushers from shooting each other. The only way I can see is getting rid of guns, then knives, then teeth then dentures.

This is a huge problem, and having the name Lakewood attached is not good either. But how do you stop it?

One way is what Ken threw out earlier. Police Levy, based on rental properties. We added $1,000 a year license fee to ALL rental units. This would address many problems.

One that has surfaced is rental units cheaper than Section 8. Another problem is the offloading of heavily medicated people into rental units.

We have got to get serious.


FWIW

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

The drug problems here in Lakewood are a bit too scary for me at the moment.

it seems like weekly something drug related happens that the light exposes, think of the stuff that isn't worth printing or bringing to public. (the regular stuff).

It's weird but drugs are more of a problem west of Cleveland than east of Cleveland.

Most of the incidents like this that happen in East Cleveland are people from Solon, Strongsville, Bay etc. that have the money to afford the higher end drugs getting mugged and beat up in a deal.

Sad but true..

I still ain't movin' though.

[chris richards]

Police Levy, based on rental properties. We added $1,000 a year license fee to ALL rental units. This would address many problems.
FWIW

So what is the reason something like that has not been put in place? It would seem that if it would be brought up to a vote, the citizens of Lakewood would go for it, since it would not be an increase in income or property taxes. With the incredible number of rental properties in Lakewood, that money could go to funding other programs as well.

[sharon kinsella]

So Jim, you're saying that my rent will have to be raised in order to encompass the $1,000.00 a year rental fee. How about a fee for each individual in a household. We could have a fee for people who drive more than 1,000 miles a year in Lakewood to cover road resurfacing. Or maybe we could charge per decibel fines for repeat noise offenders. How about a fine jar for people who swear.

Guess what, I live in a rental property, I have no criminal record, I am a contributing member to this community and I really resent the fact that I may have to move if anything as foolish as this is enacted. Come up with something else.

[Dee Martinez]

So Jim, you're saying that my rent will have to be raised in order to encompass the $1,000.00 a year rental fee. How about a fee for each individual in a household. We could have a fee for people who drive more than 1,000 miles a year in Lakewood to cover road resurfacing. Or maybe we could charge per decibel fines for repeat noise offenders. How about a fine jar for people who swear.

Guess what, I live in a rental property, I have no criminal record, I am a contributing member to this community and I really resent the fact that I may have to move if anything as foolish as this is enacted. Come up with something else.

Cant agree more. The landlord wont absorb that cost himself, so my rent goes up $80 a month? What did I do wrong? I didn't shoot anybody. Yet.

If I make $50,000 a year, a half-percent income tax increase for police increases my tax burden $250 a year. You want to increase it by FOUR times that much????
Are Mr. Warren and Mr. O'Bryan stealth agents for the Grow Westlake committee?

[chris richards]

I live in a rental as well, and I can feel your frustration with an idea like this. At the same time, as renters, many of us do not pay heat and water, trash or sewer. There are a good deal of things we don't pay for, like maintenance. Sure parts of our rent go toward these things, but with generally four units, the cost is slim.

Perhaps the idea of $1000/rental property is too high. A smaller amount would still bring in an impressive revenue for the police department. I would rather rent go up to help out the police than it just going up. My rent this year was raised by $50. Where is it going? I don't know.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Sharon

Safe/CLEAN

Tied directly to rent I can charge for living ion the city.

I rented for decades, now I rent to others.

You tell me how we do it?

There were many spin-offs from the progam besides police.

I am ready and open for any ideas.

.

[Dee Martinez]

I live in a rental as well, and I can feel your frustration with an idea like this. At the same time, as renters, many of us do not pay heat and water, trash or sewer. There are a good deal of things we don't pay for, like maintenance. Sure parts of our rent go toward these things, but with generally four units, the cost is slim.

Perhaps the idea of $1000/rental property is too high. A smaller amount would still bring in an impressive revenue for the police department. I would rather rent go up to help out the police than it just going up. My rent this year was raised by $50. Where is it going? I don't know.

No, you dont pay for those things DIRECTLY.
But unless your renting from the ghost of Mother Theresa, your of course payeing for those things. Theyre all factored into the rent, as are the property taxes, which many people somehow believe renters have no involvement in subsidizing.

You are paying for every service you receive, your just doing it with one check.

In fairness to the good gentlemen who proposed this bad idea, I will ask for clarification. Are you talking about a one-time fee, an every couple of years fee, or an annual one? Also, to make the idea even sillier, the LANDLORD will get to DEDUCT that tax, but the RENTER who actually PAYS it WONT!

[sharon kinsella]

Well, Jim, how about we enforce the nuisance laws. How about we require that landlords be responsible for what happens at their properties? How about getting the various probation depts. to do regular pee test and have real consequences for people who fail them, like fines paid directly to the cities they live in? What if we work on national gun legislation and revoke the conceal and carry licenses, except for authorized law enforcement? What if we work on stopping drug traffic and reestablish the highly successful W.E.B. (Westside Enforcement Bureau). Why don't we raise the fines (real fines) for drug distribution. What if we built holding facilities for adult and juvenile offenders so that real sentences and holding facilities exist.

Why punish law abiding citizens, for the mistakes of criminals. I know there are many homeowners who get DUI, Domestic Violence citations, have children that have juvenile records.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT UNSCRUPULOUS ABSENTEE LANDLORDS LOOKING AT RENTAL PROPERTY AS INCOME AND LET THE CITY BE DAMNED.

The best thing that has happened in housing enforcement was when Judge Carroll made the absentee landlord live in the slum he was creating.

[Kenneth Warren]

These drug-related incidents tell us that the drug dealer – another special interest group – has invaded, having found the territory of Lakewood an hospitable, suitable space to transact business and transgress violently against life.

There are other special interest groups draining police resources, too, making it easier for the drug dealer to transact business here, and making it easier for petty criminals to boost property and break into houses and garages.

Some see it; but some don't. You can count the shootings on your fingers. Those are stats, too.

Yet the chaos that stems from these special interest groups is evidently not showing up on the crime stats in any manner that is compelling change in tactics and request for more cops from management.

You can name the various special interest groups that occupy increasingly discounted habitations, challenge norms with anti-social, bizarre and criminal behavior, frightening citizens with means and children to protect to flee for safer havens.

Of course, it is to the economic benefit of these special interest groups to increase their occupation rates in the city, with their transgressions forcing thin-skinned and anxious law-abiding residents to flee the chaos. That creates greater supply and cheaper prices, allowing more chaos-making and criminality to thrive here.

The trajectory of increasing chaos and caseload has been going down since Mayor Sinagra left office. The Great Day of Reckoning has been quite a time in the making – isolated incident by isolated incident.

Lakewood needs 30 more cops on the street. We need leadership and commitments raised substantially from present levels. As a community we need to tell the Police we will support them in the application of the most forceful law enforcement technique legally possible. We need to accept the tickets and enforcement pressures that we will experience from a higher level of enforcement.

And we need to know that each of us will need to confront members of these special interest groups as they impose the chaos and mayhem that clear the way for more of them to inhabit and destroy the values – economic and moral – of the city.

And the housing inspection front needs to be dealt with as aggressively as possible.

Can any candidate explain what is different now, offer a plan, set an honest credible budget and execute?

Kenneth Warren

[sharon kinsella]

You know, you can put all the police you want on the street, but, if the jails are overcrowded, if they arrest juveniles and have to set them free because county has no room for them - what good is it going to do.

What good does it do to arrest a drug abuser, stick them in jail, give them no guidance, put them into probation programs, have them flunk urine tests, 4, 5, or 6 times, and once again, incarcerate them without breaking the cycle.

Short term solutions are only that, short term solution. More global thinking and long range planning needs to be incorporated.