City of Lakewood

December 10, 2010
WEEKLY INFO BULLETIN
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Andrew Neiditz, City Manager

• City tackles Pre-Thanksgiving Day - Snow Fall Event: Throughout the recent snow event, Public Works with the support of Parks personnel maintained a 24 hour street sanding and de-icing operation. The operation started on Sunday November 21st prior to the snow with an application of a de-icing agent to the streets. Unfortunately, the weather front produced a little rain which negated that effort so it was stopped. On Monday the 22nd at 7:00 a. m., the de-icing operation started up again and continued until the crew transitioned into a sanding and deicing operation by 3:30 p. m. The sanding and de-icing operation continued non-stop until 4:00 p.m. on the 24th. The City had all its equipment out which consisted of two dump trucks equipped with snow plows and sand spreaders, a 1-ton pickup equipped with a snow plow and a drop-in sanding unit, and a flat bed truck rigged for deicing. During the peak of the snow fall, the City's operation was overwhelmed as were other agencies' operations within the Puget Sound area. With 181 center-line miles or 485 lane miles of streets to maintain during this event, the crew's efforts were limited to maintaining the drivability of South Tacoma Way, Bridgeport Way and Steilacoom Blvd. In total the crew spread 150 tons of sand, 60 tons of salt and applied 2,500 gallons of de-icing agent. The total miles covered by the materials were in excess of 450 lane miles. The total operational cost for this 4-day snow event was about $20,700.
• Lakewood hosts University Place municipal court launch reception: The Cities of Lakewood and University Place hosted a celebratory event on November 30th to recognize the formation of the new University Place Municipal Court, to be located at Lakewood City Hall. University Place entered into an interlocal agreement with the City of Lakewood to provide municipal court, prosecution and public defender services, which will commence on January 1, 2011. The program included a presentation on the municipal court process by Judge Heller and the Court Administrator, as well as comments by both mayors. The 60 attendees present also toured Court and Legal facilities, including the holding cell and inmate transport van. Both Cities' officials and staff were very complimentary of the program and information presented.
• LPD Detective earns Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst status: Detective Bryan Johnson earned the certification level of "Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst" (CSCSA). This is the highest level of International Crime Scene Investigation Certification governed by the IAI (International Association for Identification) There are currently fewer than 350 people in the U.S. and Canada who have achieved the "Senior Crime Scene Analyst" Certification and only 10 in the Pacific NW Region.
• City staff briefs Lakewood Organization of Community Active Landlords (LOCAL) on medical marijuana: CSRT Attorney Mike Savage spoke to Lakewood Organization of Community Active Landlords (LOCAL) regarding medical marijuana, at their November monthly meeting. Some landlords were seeking information about the legality of tenants smoking or growing marijuana in their apartments when they claimed it was for medical purposes. Under the state medical marijuana statute codified in RCW Chapter 69.51A, qualified patients can possess, use and grow marijuana for medical purposes under certain legal conditions, but not in public view. Mike suggested that landlords call the police if they observed marijuana being consumed or possessed in their apartment building, since it is law enforcement's responsibility to evaluate whether the use of marijuana is lawful under the medical marijuana statute.
• CSRT staff attends meeting with Joint Base Lewis-McChord Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board: Lt. Mauer participated in a meeting at Joint Base Lewis-McChord with the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board on December 1st. This Board has representatives from all branches of the military which discuss a wide range of issues related to military personnel. The meeting included discussion of issues with bars in Lakewood and the process for that Board to assist with problems at local bars. There was reference to the courtesy patrol which is very popular with Lakewood PD and Tacoma, as well as the local bar owners, and there were assurances that the courtesy patrol would continue.
• 14 from Lakewood complete emergency First Aid and CPR training: Fourteen local residents completed First Aid and CPR training through the City's Emergency Sheltering program on Saturday, December 4th. The American Red Cross provided the instruction, and the training fees were paid by a Pierce County Emergency Sheltering grant award. In a crisis situation, if the City opens emergency shelter sites, we now have many shelter volunteers trained in first aid and CPR who can assist evacuees. The First Baptist Church of Lakewood has provided continuing strong support of the City's sheltering program.
• Additional arrests in Wal-Mart homicide case: Major Crimes/Homicide Detectives made three arrests this week of subjects who helped the defendants in the Wal-Mart homicide case from last year. An adult male and two adult females were taken into custody and booked for rendering criminal assistance.
• CSRT conducts briefing to Lakewood's Public Safety Advisory Committee on their progress: Lt. Steve Mauer presented information on the Community Safety Resource Team to the Lakewood's Public Safety Advisory Committee on December 1st, including a review of the latest progress report. In addition, he presented information on gated communities, traffic symbols for bike lanes and also discussed crime stats in the city. Committee members' questions were recorded for follow-up.
• HR Director earns recertification as IPMA Certified Professional: HR Director Debra Young received notice that she has met all of the criteria to be recertified as an IPMA-HR Certified Professional (IPMA-CP), for the next three years. The requirements of this certification include continuous education and a leadership role in a recognized professional human resource association.