MEETING RECAP
Tough on Crime in Lakewood
By Paula T. OlsonSunday, October 1, 2023
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President Mary warmed up the crowd with her signature song “We are Family” before dinging the dinner bell to officially start the meeting. Paula Olson led us in an invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance followed. Making the meeting happen was the set-up crew of Wynn Hoffman, Terry Roarke, Rick Selden, James Osundwa, Tom George and Rob Erb. Veronica Bronkema was at the Paul Harris table, Leon Titus was at the $2.00 table and also served as our sergeant at arms. Walt Richardson was the photographer extraordinare while Paula Olson took furious notes and John Lowney manned the Cookie Jar.
Generous Rotarians donated $1,835 to The Rotary Foundation today and $585 last week. Amazing! But where our generosity really shone was the last Friday of the month food donation. We collected more high value food than any time in the past and bunches of money for the Little Free Pantry program. Next opportunity to wow the community is October 27th.
Pres. Mary had the Puffins stand to be acknowledged and what a stately group they are. There were no visitors but one guest: Jennie Weinand, wife of Jim Weinand. Several dignitaries were in attendance including Greg Horn, Tony Camoroda, and Bill Potter. There was a poster board on the table leading into the meeting room for all to sign good wishes for Gordy Quick who is out of the hospital and resting at home. Wendy McGowan gave the Wellness report, telling us that Anne Enquist’s sister passed away and Jan Gee had shoulder surgery. We send our love and condolences to Anne and her family and a big “Get Well Fast” to Jan.
We learned of a change in the board when Dave Swindale leaves for an extended trip ending in Hawaii to care for his mom. Linda Disney will take his spot on the Board of Directors. PDG Greg Horn swore Linda in and there was an official passing of the Rotary baton. President Mary presented Dave with a certificate of appreciation. Dave put $50 in the Cookie Jar for all the meetings he’ll miss until he returns in person. That would make a couple of bucks a meeting, Dave. Hhmmm.
In the announcement section, Gayle Selden gave us an update on exchange student Amelia Babazadz. She’s going to Homecoming by way of a promposal on TikTok. She also wants to shop at Good Will. Apparently, that’s the latest fun time on TikTok (sorry Nordstrom!). Gayle encouraged us to connect with Amelia to do something fun, although frankly I can’t think of a funner time than bin-diving at Good Will. Her number is in the book and she needs a new host family by the end of October until the end of February 2024. Gayle also told us that our 2011 – 2012 exchange student, Patricia Franko got married and had a little girl, Nora. They live in Mikohaza, Hungary.
Kris Kauffman had an exciting moment when he exchanged his red badge for a blue one and paid $5.00 for the honor. Prez Mary stated that our RI President, Gordon McInally is really promoting October 10th as Mental Health Day, prompted primarily because of his brother’s struggle. Anne Enquist announced Rotary on Tap event on October 12th at Steilacoom’s Top Side Tavern. Anne thanked Andy and Donna Phillips who know the owner and were able to convince him to let us rowdy Rotarians take over the upstairs section of the place and without charging a group fee. Address is 215 Wilkes, but RSVP with Anne or Steve Enquist so they know who is coming. The theme is Pints for Polio.
Don Daniels announced that he’s ending his term on the Planning Advisory Board at the end of the year. ???????? and that will leave four seats open. He encouraged us to apply for the positions and would love to see a few Rotarians help with community planning. Starting salary is low and the expectation that it will get better is non-existent but don’t let that deter you. Money isn’t everything, you know. October 20th is fun time at Tacoma South Rotary’s Putt Putt Golf. Social hour starts at 5:00 p.m. Mary assured us all that it really was fun so sign up and go. How???????????? Bill Potter had so many details of the Novemberr11th Nourish fundraiser in his head that all he could really say is that it will be awesome.
Shedding a little more light on the inner demons of our President, Mary complained that Lakewood Rotary is falling one purple bin behind the Kiwanas in the race to buy the most purple recycle bins from LeMay Waste Management. Yes, it’s sad to say she really is this competitive. Spend $200, buy a bin and get a $299 tax deduction to benefit Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation. Mary perked up a bit when she saw how many people have already bought the bins that weren’t on her list. “Maybe we’re ahead,” she breathed. Send her your name if you’ve bought one to ease Mary’s blood pressure in her desire to beat the Kiwanas. Joe Quinn announced that he had a Fulton to celebrate his trip to California. An argument erupted over how much a Fulton was worth. Some said $50 and some said $100. We did establish that a Greenleaf is $20 and a Franklin is $100 and an Irwin is $5, but what the heck is a Fulton worth? Not even Gary Fulton himself could bring a consensus. Leon Titus celebrated his 44th wedding anniversary in July and then spent two weeks in the south of France and then some time in Palm Springs and something about Chuck Hellar, which all added up to $100. So, was that one Fulton or two Fultons?
When Greg Horn said he had something to say, Mary immediately started biting her nails. This apparently would be an uncensored statement. But not to worry. Greg announced it was National Drink Beer Day! After doing a little research, Greg was one day off. National Beer Drink Day is September 28th, not the 29th. Speaking of national days, it was also National Strawberry Cream Pie Day, National North Carolina Day, and National Good Neighborhood Day. Cat Frederickson dropped $10 in the Cookie Jar to celebrate her youngest’s 10th birthday and Linda Disney honored Barb Spriggs and Mary Marlin for attending her first golf tournament.
Lakewood City Manager John Caulfield, decked out in one of the best-looking blazers ever, introduced our speaker, Lakewood Police Chief Patrick Smith. Chief Smith has a truly impressive law enforcement career, spending 28 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, rising in the ranks from a patrol officer to Commander. He is a veteran of the U. S. Marine Corp and comes to Lakewood from about four years as Chief of Police of Birmingham, Alabama. He started with the City of Lakewood on March 1, 2023. Chief Smith’s experience and training (resume?????????????? is so vast that we are incredibly lucky to have him.
The first words he spoke told us the most important thing we need to know about him: “Just call me Patrick.” He observed that he first thought the big crowd was to hear his presentation but then he learned about the pot roast lunch, he knew we had our priorities straight. The next thing Chief Smith did was recognize our Fire Chief Jim Sharp and described him as an awesome partner that the chief sincerely appreciated.
Chief Smith described how he approaches his job by analyzing the last 24 hours of crime every morning. He looks at what happened, where, and how many times. He considers the problem areas, citizen complaints and calls for service. He went on to give us statistical information about the second quarter of 2023. Calls for service went up about 11% from 2021 and 2022. He reminded us that the officers really have a heart to do what is right for the community and it’s citizens. To that end, arrests were up about 23.4%. Crimes against persons were up about 1%, property crimes down about 10.4%.
The biggest problem facing Lakewood from Chief Smith’s perspective is the inability to pursue suspects in stolen cars because of the state law prohibiting that. There are about six cars stolen every day at the Town Center. Then the stolen cars are stashed in a neighborhood where after a while, people are used to seeing the car. Theves then steal another car and use both of them to burglarize three to four homes. If you own a Kia or Hyundai, get an Apple airtag for tracking where your car is. While they things might not stop your car from being stolen, at least it can be located with the air tag. Steering wheel locks are also highly recommended for those two brands of cars..
In Lakewood, the number of shots fired cases are down; collisions are down; traffic stops are up. Chief Smith believes firmly that his daily crime analysis allows him to move officers around to areas where there is more crime. Unfortunately, homicides are up. In 2022, there was a total of five homicides. This year currently there are five homicides, however, four of the five homicides were resolved in six hours and the fifth one took a little longer because the suspect fled. Some sex crimes are up, such as those involving domestic violence and date rape but burglary and larceny are down. Overall, crime is down about 5.3% in Lakewood as of the second quarter of the year.
Chief Smith applauded the Mayor and the City Manager for starting a group of other representatives from similar cities to deal with the issue of public safety in Olympia. Getting 36 license readers to track stolen cars coming into Lakewood is also a huge help facilitated by the Mayor and City Manager. Over 3,000 stolen cars come in Lakewood from Tacoma. ????????????????
He stated that he is able to recruit officers from other cities and towns because of the support of the citizens in Lakewood. Lakewood is down six officers and more with those on sick leave or planning retirement. But he has a full-time recruiter and 42 people in the pipeline to be hired.
Addressing juvenile crime, Chief Smith said that is a different animal altogether. It is up over 200% because officers can’t interview juvenile suspects without a lawyer. When a juvenile gets a lawyer, often they will not provide any information, or it is too late to be of value to the police. Kids as young as 12 years steal cars because they learn how to do it on TikTok.
Thank you, Chief Smith, for this informative presentation. His desire for us to be safe and to feel safe is working thanks to his leadership of the department. He failed to answer one important question: When is he joining Lakewood Rotary?
Chief Smith pulled a winning ticket from the tumbler and a riot ensued when it turned out to be Fire Chief Jim Sharp’s ticket as a possible set up. Chief Sharpe’s high hopes for the $638 in the pot were dashed when he pulled a white chip for $5.
Upcoming Events:
October 10th – Mental Health Day
October 12th at 5:30 p.m. – Rotary on Tap. Topside Tavern at Steilacoom. RSVP with Steve or Anne Enquist. 253-?????????
October 20th at 5:00 p.m. – Harkness Furniture, 27th & South Tacoma Way - Rotary Putt Putt Golf event. sigm up how?????
October 24th – World Polio Day
October 31st – Trunk or Treat. See Jan Gee for details and need for volunteers ???????????????
November 5th – Woodstick at Clover Park High School supporting Coffee Oasis. Thanks to EM Chris Kimball. He needs 5 – 6 volunteers so contact him for more information. Please bring ear protection.
November 11th – Nourish of Pierce County Fundraiser. Bill Potter will have details.
Greg add photo of Selden & Kauffman
Generous Rotarians donated $1,835 to The Rotary Foundation today and $585 last week. Amazing! But where our generosity really shone was the last Friday of the month food donation. We collected more high value food than any time in the past and bunches of money for the Little Free Pantry program. Next opportunity to wow the community is October 27th.
Pres. Mary had the Puffins stand to be acknowledged and what a stately group they are. There were no visitors but one guest: Jennie Weinand, wife of Jim Weinand. Several dignitaries were in attendance including Greg Horn, Tony Camoroda, and Bill Potter. There was a poster board on the table leading into the meeting room for all to sign good wishes for Gordy Quick who is out of the hospital and resting at home. Wendy McGowan gave the Wellness report, telling us that Anne Enquist’s sister passed away and Jan Gee had shoulder surgery. We send our love and condolences to Anne and her family and a big “Get Well Fast” to Jan.
We learned of a change in the board when Dave Swindale leaves for an extended trip ending in Hawaii to care for his mom. Linda Disney will take his spot on the Board of Directors. PDG Greg Horn swore Linda in and there was an official passing of the Rotary baton. President Mary presented Dave with a certificate of appreciation. Dave put $50 in the Cookie Jar for all the meetings he’ll miss until he returns in person. That would make a couple of bucks a meeting, Dave. Hhmmm.
In the announcement section, Gayle Selden gave us an update on exchange student Amelia Babazadz. She’s going to Homecoming by way of a promposal on TikTok. She also wants to shop at Good Will. Apparently, that’s the latest fun time on TikTok (sorry Nordstrom!). Gayle encouraged us to connect with Amelia to do something fun, although frankly I can’t think of a funner time than bin-diving at Good Will. Her number is in the book and she needs a new host family by the end of October until the end of February 2024. Gayle also told us that our 2011 – 2012 exchange student, Patricia Franko got married and had a little girl, Nora. They live in Mikohaza, Hungary.
Kris Kauffman had an exciting moment when he exchanged his red badge for a blue one and paid $5.00 for the honor. Prez Mary stated that our RI President, Gordon McInally is really promoting October 10th as Mental Health Day, prompted primarily because of his brother’s struggle. Anne Enquist announced Rotary on Tap event on October 12th at Steilacoom’s Top Side Tavern. Anne thanked Andy and Donna Phillips who know the owner and were able to convince him to let us rowdy Rotarians take over the upstairs section of the place and without charging a group fee. Address is 215 Wilkes, but RSVP with Anne or Steve Enquist so they know who is coming. The theme is Pints for Polio.
Don Daniels announced that he’s ending his term on the Planning Advisory Board at the end of the year. ???????? and that will leave four seats open. He encouraged us to apply for the positions and would love to see a few Rotarians help with community planning. Starting salary is low and the expectation that it will get better is non-existent but don’t let that deter you. Money isn’t everything, you know. October 20th is fun time at Tacoma South Rotary’s Putt Putt Golf. Social hour starts at 5:00 p.m. Mary assured us all that it really was fun so sign up and go. How???????????? Bill Potter had so many details of the Novemberr11th Nourish fundraiser in his head that all he could really say is that it will be awesome.
Shedding a little more light on the inner demons of our President, Mary complained that Lakewood Rotary is falling one purple bin behind the Kiwanas in the race to buy the most purple recycle bins from LeMay Waste Management. Yes, it’s sad to say she really is this competitive. Spend $200, buy a bin and get a $299 tax deduction to benefit Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation. Mary perked up a bit when she saw how many people have already bought the bins that weren’t on her list. “Maybe we’re ahead,” she breathed. Send her your name if you’ve bought one to ease Mary’s blood pressure in her desire to beat the Kiwanas. Joe Quinn announced that he had a Fulton to celebrate his trip to California. An argument erupted over how much a Fulton was worth. Some said $50 and some said $100. We did establish that a Greenleaf is $20 and a Franklin is $100 and an Irwin is $5, but what the heck is a Fulton worth? Not even Gary Fulton himself could bring a consensus. Leon Titus celebrated his 44th wedding anniversary in July and then spent two weeks in the south of France and then some time in Palm Springs and something about Chuck Hellar, which all added up to $100. So, was that one Fulton or two Fultons?
When Greg Horn said he had something to say, Mary immediately started biting her nails. This apparently would be an uncensored statement. But not to worry. Greg announced it was National Drink Beer Day! After doing a little research, Greg was one day off. National Beer Drink Day is September 28th, not the 29th. Speaking of national days, it was also National Strawberry Cream Pie Day, National North Carolina Day, and National Good Neighborhood Day. Cat Frederickson dropped $10 in the Cookie Jar to celebrate her youngest’s 10th birthday and Linda Disney honored Barb Spriggs and Mary Marlin for attending her first golf tournament.
Lakewood City Manager John Caulfield, decked out in one of the best-looking blazers ever, introduced our speaker, Lakewood Police Chief Patrick Smith. Chief Smith has a truly impressive law enforcement career, spending 28 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, rising in the ranks from a patrol officer to Commander. He is a veteran of the U. S. Marine Corp and comes to Lakewood from about four years as Chief of Police of Birmingham, Alabama. He started with the City of Lakewood on March 1, 2023. Chief Smith’s experience and training (resume?????????????? is so vast that we are incredibly lucky to have him.
The first words he spoke told us the most important thing we need to know about him: “Just call me Patrick.” He observed that he first thought the big crowd was to hear his presentation but then he learned about the pot roast lunch, he knew we had our priorities straight. The next thing Chief Smith did was recognize our Fire Chief Jim Sharp and described him as an awesome partner that the chief sincerely appreciated.
Chief Smith described how he approaches his job by analyzing the last 24 hours of crime every morning. He looks at what happened, where, and how many times. He considers the problem areas, citizen complaints and calls for service. He went on to give us statistical information about the second quarter of 2023. Calls for service went up about 11% from 2021 and 2022. He reminded us that the officers really have a heart to do what is right for the community and it’s citizens. To that end, arrests were up about 23.4%. Crimes against persons were up about 1%, property crimes down about 10.4%.
The biggest problem facing Lakewood from Chief Smith’s perspective is the inability to pursue suspects in stolen cars because of the state law prohibiting that. There are about six cars stolen every day at the Town Center. Then the stolen cars are stashed in a neighborhood where after a while, people are used to seeing the car. Theves then steal another car and use both of them to burglarize three to four homes. If you own a Kia or Hyundai, get an Apple airtag for tracking where your car is. While they things might not stop your car from being stolen, at least it can be located with the air tag. Steering wheel locks are also highly recommended for those two brands of cars..
In Lakewood, the number of shots fired cases are down; collisions are down; traffic stops are up. Chief Smith believes firmly that his daily crime analysis allows him to move officers around to areas where there is more crime. Unfortunately, homicides are up. In 2022, there was a total of five homicides. This year currently there are five homicides, however, four of the five homicides were resolved in six hours and the fifth one took a little longer because the suspect fled. Some sex crimes are up, such as those involving domestic violence and date rape but burglary and larceny are down. Overall, crime is down about 5.3% in Lakewood as of the second quarter of the year.
Chief Smith applauded the Mayor and the City Manager for starting a group of other representatives from similar cities to deal with the issue of public safety in Olympia. Getting 36 license readers to track stolen cars coming into Lakewood is also a huge help facilitated by the Mayor and City Manager. Over 3,000 stolen cars come in Lakewood from Tacoma. ????????????????
He stated that he is able to recruit officers from other cities and towns because of the support of the citizens in Lakewood. Lakewood is down six officers and more with those on sick leave or planning retirement. But he has a full-time recruiter and 42 people in the pipeline to be hired.
Addressing juvenile crime, Chief Smith said that is a different animal altogether. It is up over 200% because officers can’t interview juvenile suspects without a lawyer. When a juvenile gets a lawyer, often they will not provide any information, or it is too late to be of value to the police. Kids as young as 12 years steal cars because they learn how to do it on TikTok.
Thank you, Chief Smith, for this informative presentation. His desire for us to be safe and to feel safe is working thanks to his leadership of the department. He failed to answer one important question: When is he joining Lakewood Rotary?
Chief Smith pulled a winning ticket from the tumbler and a riot ensued when it turned out to be Fire Chief Jim Sharp’s ticket as a possible set up. Chief Sharpe’s high hopes for the $638 in the pot were dashed when he pulled a white chip for $5.
Upcoming Events:
October 10th – Mental Health Day
October 12th at 5:30 p.m. – Rotary on Tap. Topside Tavern at Steilacoom. RSVP with Steve or Anne Enquist. 253-?????????
October 20th at 5:00 p.m. – Harkness Furniture, 27th & South Tacoma Way - Rotary Putt Putt Golf event. sigm up how?????
October 24th – World Polio Day
October 31st – Trunk or Treat. See Jan Gee for details and need for volunteers ???????????????
November 5th – Woodstick at Clover Park High School supporting Coffee Oasis. Thanks to EM Chris Kimball. He needs 5 – 6 volunteers so contact him for more information. Please bring ear protection.
November 11th – Nourish of Pierce County Fundraiser. Bill Potter will have details.
Greg add photo of Selden & Kauffman
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