Greetings neighbors from the Lakewood Security Committee,

Following the Ad-hoc Security Committee, which was appointed by the Board in order to help assess safety in the Lakewood community, a permanent standing committee was established in October 2024.  The goal of our committee is to be advocates for community security to the Board, communicate updates to Lakewood regarding crime, and provide recommendations to the board for security related projects.

At the first meeting as a standing committee, we met with LSPD Community Interaction Officer Phillip Tucker.  His overall message was that Lakewood has a low incidence of crime compared to other areas of Lee’s Summit and that Lee’s Summit crime is lower than the adjacent communities.  Officer Tucker stated that crimes of opportunity are the largest contributors in Lakewood and we could reduce incidence further by doing simple things like:  locking all exterior doors (including the one from the garage to the house), keeping garage doors closed, locking any vehicles outside and not storing valuables in them.

For example, using the crime mapping application on the City of Lee’s Summit home page, from 9/1/2024 – 12/31/2024 there were 81 records for the Lakewood area.  Approximately half of the incidents appear to be attributed to vehicle break-in, vandalism, and larceny.  By comparison 327 incidents occurred in the same sized area surrounding LSPD headquarters over the same timeframe with close to fifty percent for larceny alone.

The good news is that data supports the overall statement that Lakewood is a relatively safe community.

A question was raised during a meeting regarding why Lakewood does not refer to the Community Service Department as “Patrol” or “Security”.  The response from Committee Staff Liaison Sean Bachtel was that Lakewood Community Services are not a security team and do not provide home patrolling services due to risk and safety of staff.  This department’s main function is enforcement of Lakewood’s Rules and Architectural Guidelines on the properties located within the Lakewood area.  They do perform checks on homes for residents that are out-of-town that have completed and submitted the Residence Check form, however.  LSPD also provides a similar service by completing a form found on their website.  Residents are encouraged to contact LSPD regarding potential crimes and Lakewood services for association related issues.  Below is a general guide.

        • Call 911 to report any suspicious (including loitering) or criminal activity in situations with imminent safety risk. Officer Tucker stressed to call 911 and not approach the situation.
        • Call LSPD using the non-emergency number (816-969-7390) for criminal activities that have already occurred / without imminent safety risk (eg, home or auto break-ins, theft, and vandalism).
        • Call Lakewood Community Services for any non-crime related concerns such Lakewood-related nuisance (eg, rules violations, ID checks, unsafe behavior on the premises or lake, etc.) as well as preventative checks such as open garage doors.

One thing of note is that a new page has been added to the LPOA website for the Security Committee which provides information and links related to safety in Lakewood. And we will provide updates periodically in the Ripples, and Lakewood email-blasts.

In conclusion, crime is relatively low in Lakewood and residents should be reassured that despite social media hype, it is not increasing. The biggest type of crime in Lakewood is largely avoidable by taking a few personal precautions.

In order to bring this top of mind with our residents we propose an education program. This can be accomplished using the email blasts and Ripples articles timed to co-inside with boating season a regular reminders about garage doors, vehicle contents and locks and periodic crime statistics. We would also suggest people install cameras and garage door automation devices.

We look forward to further education and communication with our neighbors.

Your Lakewood Security Committee