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<br />MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE <br />JUNE 20, 2023 <br />AUDITORIUM <br /> <br />Present: Baker (Chair), Shachner, Marx <br /> <br />Others: Mayor George, Law Director Vargo, Chief Kaucheck, Director Vargo, and Deputy <br />Clerk Hamideh taking minutes <br /> <br />Time: 6:53 p.m. <br /> <br />AGENDA <br /> <br />Approval of the minutes of the March 20, 2023 meeting of the Public Safety Committee. <br /> <br />Motion by Councilmember Shachner, seconded by Councilmember Marx to approve the minutes <br />from the previous meeting. All in favor. Motion passed. <br /> <br />Communication from Councilmember Baker regarding Lakewood Police Department 2022 <br />Annual Report. (Referred to Public Safety Committee 6/20/23) <br /> <br />Chairman Baker recognized and thanked Chief Kaucheck for his service in Lakewood. He <br />th <br />clarified that Chief Kaucheck’s last day of work will be June 30. <br />Chairman Baker asked Chief Kaucheck to go over the challenges the Lakewood Police <br />Department faced in 2022 as well as the things that went well. <br />Chief Kaucheck went over the staffing issues in 2022 that have improved bythe beginning of <br />2023. He shared his appreciation toward the Police Department for protecting and serving the <br />public. Chief Kaucheck went over the police data for the past year, sharing the improvements <br />that have been made regarding the decrease of violent crime as well asspeed enforcement. He <br />also explained that for four years in a row, zero CIT arrests have been made due to the diversion <br />toward services instead of jailtime. <br />Chairman Baker asked about the prevalence of car theft in Lakewood. Chief Kaucheck explained <br />an issue regarding the Kia and Hyundai trend on TikTok. He mentioned that the videos on the <br />app show how to steal those types of cars, causing kids to join the trend. Chief Kaucheck <br />explained that Kia and Hyundai are working on patches to fix the issue, but in the meantime the <br />Police Department is handing out steering wheel locks to residents. <br />Chairman Baker mentioned lawsuits that have taken place between larger cities and the car <br />manufacturers. Law Director Vargo explained that the Law Department has investigated and is <br />following the issue. Larger cities have larger damage potential compared to Lakewood. Pursuant <br />to the Mayor’s directive, Lakewood would join or bring an independent lawsuit if necessary. <br />Currently, there is no need to make a decision. <br />1 <br /> <br /> <br />