News Release from Chief Tim Malley

[Bill Call]

..pointed out on other OD threads.

I wondered if anyone was going to catch that. I usually put the qualifier in that Lakewood has SOME of the highest taxes in the country.

The reality is that one reason 70% of City employees live outside the City is that they save a lot of money by doing so.

While the City collects SOME of the highest taxes in the country solutions offered by many on this board consist of various citizen committees to clean the parks, patrol the streets, build playgrounds, etc. What are we paying for?

Look, when people are looking for a place to live and raise their families they are not going to be too excited about a community where after they come home from work and picking up the kids they have to head out to patrol the streets. Any solution to the City's problems that depends on various vigilante committees is doomed to failure because people have other choices.

The general perception of many in Lakewood and in the surrounding communities is that Lakewood is heading down hill. Am I the only one that hears that or am I the only one that says it out loud?

[Jim O'Bryan]

The general perception of many in Lakewood and in the surrounding communities is that Lakewood is heading down hill. Am I the only one that hears that or am I the only one that says it out loud?

Bill

To quote your favorite company Amyway, "You confess it, you posses it."

This is when I love telling the Paul Tepley story of his neighbor telling him Lakewood is going down hill, get out while you can. Of course it ends with him dying 30 years ago.

If you tell someone they HAVE TO PATROL, who would want to move here. But if you show them the streets are vibrant, with many civic groups they can volunteer for, then the city seems alive and vibrant.

Perception is everything, and very easy to change.

Join with me, let's go back to bar hopping on Madison.


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[Brad Hutchison]

I am uncomfortable with the idea of punishing a broad group, i.e. landlords, just because a higher percentage of criminals happen to be renters. With a plan like this (the $x renters fee), we need to ask ourselves what the goal really is -- raising money or creating responsible landlords and increasing property values?

My landlords are great. They live across the street, keep up the house, landscape it beautifully, and run background checks on new tenants. Shouldn't they be exempt?

The idea that levying a fee across the board on rental properties to raise money for security seems short-sighted. The long-term goal is to reduce/eliminate bad landlords and eyesores. This means creating a clearly defined checklist for landlords of what is expected of them in terms of upkeep (this is for more experienced people than I). Complete the checklist, avoid the fee.

This is the kind of thinking I encountered visiting family in Aurora, IL. They had to purchase stickers to place on all waste bags that were NOT recycling. The city wasn't trying to gouge residents for income, it was trying to encourage them to maximize recycling. Same principle.

I'm starting to ramble, so I'll shut it down.

Shawn, I love the notion that parking at an expired meter is a gateway crime. Sometimes, you just don't have enough change, man. Do you deserve a ticket? Sure -- the rules are clearly posted. Does it make me more likely to spraypaint the F-word on the library or city hall? Probably not.

[dl meckes]

Obviously the only choices are the ones you have put forth, Bill.

I have a problem with that mindset.

I do not know anyone who is not concerned about various crime related issues that are apparent and affect the city/region/state/country.

Lakewood is not an island.

I am still having trouble understanding how spending two million dollars for ten more police officers is going to stop armed drug dealers or armed people involved in domestic disputes. I wish that would be so, but I do not believe it is reasonable.

So far, I see that there are some people with guns who are determined to do damage to other humans.

What are your suggestions to stop that?

Would it be possible to drug test Lakewood residents to find which people might be encouraging drug trade in Lakewood?

Shall all Lakewood citizens go through mandatory anger management?

Shall we have our homes and cars searched daily for illegal guns?

In the case of the woman who was robbed on the street, her attackers had been on a crime spree outside of Lakewood. I don't think they thought that they would come to Lakewood to do more crime and I don't believe that seeing the city signs would have made them think that since Lakewood is tough on crime, we'd better drive a little more south to avoid the LPD.

These are big issues that we, as a country are facing.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lakewood is not an island.

I am still having trouble understanding how spending two million dollars for ten more police officers is going to stop armed drug dealers or armed people involved in domestic disputes. I wish that would be so, but I do not believe it is reasonable.

DL

Only because you do not think so.

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow, Lakewood would continue.

As far as ten more police, the number was 30, and while it would not stop the drug dealers from shooting their own, it might.

What it would do is keep a constant number ready for any crime or problem. So that when 5 police answer the dispute on Madison(see my photoblog) the drop off in police would be small.

At some point, like hiring the Earps for Tombstone, criminals, would stay clear of Lakewood.

FWIW


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[dl meckes]

Lakewood is not an island.

I am still having trouble understanding how spending two million dollars for ten more police officers is going to stop armed drug dealers or armed people involved in domestic disputes. I wish that would be so, but I do not believe it is reasonable.

DL

Only because you do not think so.

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow


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Like Brigadoon?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lakewood is not an island.

I am still having trouble understanding how spending two million dollars for ten more police officers is going to stop armed drug dealers or armed people involved in domestic disputes. I wish that would be so, but I do not believe it is reasonable.

DL

Only because you do not think so.

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow


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Like Brigadoon?

No, you this confused with Bill Call's often cited city.

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[sharon kinsella]

You wanna see parking tickets, go to Drug Mart by W. 117th, park on the side, forget about the meters, come out 5 minutes later - surprise - parking ticket! Yep, that will stop my crime spree.

Ryan - Are you suggesting we should abdicate personal responsibility and hire people so we don't have to do it? If so, where is the person to do my laundry!

[chris richards]

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow Lakewood would surely be affected. You can try to make this city as independent from the rest of Northeastern Ohio as you want, but that does not change the fact that our neighbors still play a big role in how Lakewood functions.

If the city of Cleveland started to rebound, would not Lakewood prosper from residents wanting to live and shop here for the short commute downtown? If crime goes up in the city of Cleveland, does it not spill over to our streets?

I know there are a lot of people against regionalism, but the fact of the matter is that we are all linked to the area. I'm fine with the idea of being as independent from other cities as we can, but they will continue to affect our city.

[Ryan Salo]

Sharon,

I can't help you with the laundry!

I was just saying why keep pushing the responsibility of PAID staff that we already have onto the citizens.

I hear it too often, if you don't like it fix it yourself.

This is fine if we FIRE the people getting paid to do it.

I am FOR less government, I would prefer citizen run groups that do more work, but not when we already pay people to do it!

I tried setting up citizen adopted parks but the city said the unions would not allow us to do it. So the same group NOT doing THEIR JOB, stops volunteer groups from doing anything official.

It is unreal. I would fire almost everyone in management and get volunteer groups to run almost everything.

[Jim O'Bryan]

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow Lakewood would surely be affected. You can try to make this city as independent from the rest of Northeastern Ohio as you want, but that does not change the fact that our neighbors still play a big role in how Lakewood functions.

If the city of Cleveland started to rebound, would not Lakewood prosper from residents wanting to live and shop here for the short commute downtown? If crime goes up in the city of Cleveland, does it not spill over to our streets?

I know there are a lot of people against regionalism, but the fact of the matter is that we are all linked to the area. I'm fine with the idea of being as independent from other cities as we can, but they will continue to affect our city.

Cris

Are you so sure.

Certainly neighbors affect us, but should we let them drive us?

You hit on a key VAL viewpoint.

Prepare for the worse, then anything else seems like a win.

Don't get me wrong after the they build the satidum it will be better, after Jacobs field, and the Q it will be better, certainly after the Rock Hall and the Science Center it will be better, well Medical Mart.

Act like an island, and when the seas are calm, it will seem like paradise.

Regionalism, still cannot see where Lakewood wins on that one.

We cannot even begin to think of the "box" if we let the failed city of Cleveland define us.


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[chris richards]

If Cleveland disappeared tomorrow Lakewood would surely be affected. You can try to make this city as independent from the rest of Northeastern Ohio as you want, but that does not change the fact that our neighbors still play a big role in how Lakewood functions.

If the city of Cleveland started to rebound, would not Lakewood prosper from residents wanting to live and shop here for the short commute downtown? If crime goes up in the city of Cleveland, does it not spill over to our streets?

I know there are a lot of people against regionalism, but the fact of the matter is that we are all linked to the area. I'm fine with the idea of being as independent from other cities as we can, but they will continue to affect our city.

Cris

Are you so sure.

Certainly neighbors affect us, but should we let them drive us?

You hit on a key VAL viewpoint.

Prepare for the worse, then anything else seems like a win.

Don't get me wrong after the they build the satidum it will be better, after Jacobs field, and the q it will be better, certainly after the Rock Hall and the Science Center it will be better, well Medical Mart.

Act like an island, and when the seas are calm, it will seem like paradise.

Regionalism, still cannot see where Lakewood wins on that one.


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I am so sure about that... there just are not enough jobs in Lakewood for its citizens. A good portion of us (I will be included come Monday) work in Cleveland. You take the other cities away and Lakewood starts finding it has a huge unemployment problem that can't easily be solved.

Personally, I don't think regionalism would help Lakewood out too much. I think it would be Lakewood helping out the rest of the region. I don't think it makes sense for Lakewood to consider regionalism at this time. But just because it is not right for Lakewood does not mean it won't work for other cities in the area. I'm not sure the idea of regionalism needs to be applied to every city in the county, but if just some of them merged, it could improve Northeast Ohio as a whole.

Whether Lakewood embraces regionalism or not, we should still be rooting for the whole area, not just ourselves.

[Jim O'Bryan]

II am so sure about that... there just are not enough jobs in Lakewood for its citizens. A good portion of us (I will be included come Monday) work in Cleveland. You take the other cities away and Lakewood starts finding it has a huge unemployment problem that can't easily be solved.

Personally, I don't think regionalism would help Lakewood out too much. I think it would be Lakewood helping out the rest of the region. I don't think it makes sense for Lakewood to consider regionalism at this time. But just because it is not right for Lakewood does not mean it won't work for other cities in the area. I'm not sure the idea of regionalism needs to be applied to every city in the county, but if just some of them merged, it could improve Northeast Ohio as a whole.

Whether Lakewood embraces regionalism or not, we should still be rooting for the whole area, not just ourselves.

Cris

You are totally missing my point. Should Lakewoodites work in Cleveland, yes, and River, Westlake, Medina, wherever.

Should Lakewood work with other cities to bring down costs on things they buy? Yes. Only a fool would say no.

Base our city on other cities in the region? No. We must work to differentiate from all other cities. This is the only way we can grow and survive.

You have 57 cities offering the same, as a marketing person does it not makes sense to come up with something a little better? Something different?

FWIW


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[chris richards]

You are totally missing my point.

I understand your point that we should try to do something different and better than the rest of the region. Your earlier post made it sound like you thought we didn't need our neighboring cities and I was just trying to point out that their well being and presence does affect us and that we do need them for various reasons.

[Gary Rice]

Constructive solutions?

Dee, Thanks for your kind words. I do like to accentuate the good stuff. Mainly because in the grand scheme of things, there is so much more of it, than the negative.

Lakewood is full of good stuff.

But of course, there is the negative, whether here or anywhere.

There are very constructive steps that citizens can take to help the community as a whole. There are many affirmative options available to them; from block watch formations, to joining the Police Auxiliary, to taking personal self-defense courses like those sponsored by the NRA: i.e.-Personal Protection in the Home, and Certified Home Firearm Safety. There are also concealed carry courses held by certified instructors, for those so inclined.

In other places, there are Martial Art personal protection escape and evasion courses available, including dealing with gun and knife take-away techniques. There's the Martial Arts for the competitive world, and then, there's the other kind...

I would emphasize however, that simply taking a course of instruction is one thing. Training helps to prepare for many things. The difficulty is always whether one would be prepared to use this training in the event of trouble- to help either themselves, or another in distress. Don't take a course unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to get involved and keep the law, and the peace.

There are also very explicit laws that go with self-defense. These kinds of things need to be learned and understood.

Jim is right in that this all begins with good, responsible, law-abiding, and vigilant citizenship. One of the big problems, and the baddies know it, is the reluctance of anyone to come forth and testify in court or otherwise get involved.

Remember the story years ago of that girl in the big city who was stabbed something like 100 times? Hundreds of people saw it happen and no one came forth to stop it.

A safer Lakewood begins with you.