Do police plan added patrols at Lakewood park that was scene to mass shooting?
Following a shooting that injured seven people at Harry Todd Park in Lakewood last week, the Lakewood Police Department will be adding more patrols, as they do every summer, city spokesperson Brynn Grimley said Monday.
No one has been arrested in connection with the May 28 shooting, which broke out after a dispute between two groups escalated into violence, as previously reported by The News Tribune. Police said Thursday afternoon that a 38-year-old man was in critical condition and two people were in serious condition — a 19-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, according to a news release. Four people were in stable condition: a man, 18, two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl.
Grimley said the Lakewood Police Department might take a look at its current patrol plan but in the meantime will continue staffing as it does every summer — “Which is to try to have at least two officers together patrolling our parks, as they are available, on days that we anticipate high usage.”
The city’s two lakefront parks — Harry Todd Park and American Lake — see the most use in the summer, she said. American Lake is closed due to park improvements, although the boat launch is open.
On the day of the shooting, the Police Department had not yet put out additional patrols because that usually happens during the peak summer season, Grimley said. Additional officers were added to Lakewood parks over the weekend, she said.
“Officers will be stationed at the lakes to have a presence. Sometimes that’s on bikes, other times in cars and on foot. We also have our Marine Services Unit, which is on the lake patrolling as they are available. They help keep the waterways safe and can also come into shore if needed to respond,” Grimley said via text. “Even if officers aren’t in the park, the public can always call 911 to report illegal activity, and officers will respond.”
The choice to add additional patrols is usually weather-dependent, “So if we have an early start to ‘summer’ with a lot of warm days, they may start earlier than a cooler year where we don’t have as many days,’” she said. “We always send patrols through our neighborhoods and parks. The added presence through the increased patrols would be stationed at the lakefront parks.”
The Lakewood Police Department has 100 commissioned police officers, two community service officers, two court-compliance officers, two animal-control officers, three code-enforcement officers and 10 civilian staff, according to an annual police report presented to the Lakewood City Council in March. It’s one of the largest departments in the state, serving over 60,000 people.
Officers responded to 49,810 calls for service in 2024, the annual report said. The Lakewood police operating budget is about $32 million in 2025 and $32.3 million in 2026, according to the city’s adopted biennial budget.
