Lakewood police increase presence at city events to deter crime, violence
The Lakewood Police Department will be having more officers patrol city run events to clamp down on potential crime or violence. Author: Lionel Donovan (KING) Updated: 7:00 PM PDT July 20, 2021
LAKEWOOD, Wash. Lakewood police are letting residents know they shouldn’t be surprised to see a few more officers at events like farmers markets and drive-in movies.
The goal is making people feel safe when they go out, especially now that there are places and events for people to go to.
“Attendance has been astonishing. Once the state reopened, people just came back in throngs back to Lakewood parks and events,” said Jim Kopriva, communications manager for the City of Lakewood. “At American Lake, you were seeing a thousand people crunched together on the beach during the heat wave. And when you run out of elbow room, that’s when you can run into some problems.”