Contact Public Safety

Community Safety Officer taking fingerprints off a car

Lakewood’s Public Safety Department supports and enhances the services provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to keep the community safe.

The Public Safety Department also maintains responsibility for the Sky Knight helicopter program, school crossing guards and the Neighborhood Watch program.

How Public Safety helps residents

Educates residents on common scams and tips to prevent property crimes 

Public Safety staff research crime prevention tips and communicate those to residents through the Lakewood Connect eMagazine, Lakewood Community News, eWatch and other platforms. 

Helps with non-emergency calls and duties to reduce response time for priority issues 

Community Safety Officers are uniformed city employees who are dispatched by the Lakewood Sheriff's Station and respond to what are called "non-suspect" report calls and non-injury traffic collisions. These are non-emergency calls that still require a report to be taken, both for insurance purposes for residents and to help the Lakewood Sheriff's Station in tracking crime.

Having CSOs take these non-suspect calls provides faster service to residents and keeps deputy sheriffs on patrol and able to respond more quickly to emergency calls.

Lakewood CSOs are trained in fingerprinting and DNA collection (most deputy sheriffs are not). This greatly reduces the wait time for crime scene evidence collection, and it increases the chances that a burglar or auto thief in Lakewood will be found and prosecuted. In fact, it is common for CSOs to testify in court when prints and DNA they collected at crime scenes are used in criminal court proceedings. 

Encourages communication and partnership between law enforcement and the community

Lakewood residents can meet with deputies and public safety leaders through a variety of Public Safety hosted events, such as the Coffee with a Deputy series, neighborhood-level meetings, and crime prevention/emergency preparedness information booths at almost every city event.

Look for annual Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Expo and National Night Out events too.