Lakewood : 4-City Law Enforcement Contract Extended

A battle between Lakewood and neighboring Bellflower over a regional law enforcement contract was given a respite this week when the Lakewood City Council voted to keep the contract for 60 days.

The decision was made Monday after council members were told that Bellflower would pay to add two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department patrol cars to their city beginning Sunday. With the additional cars in Bellflower, fewer patrol cars will be pulled off Lakewood streets to handle crime in Bellflower, sheriff’s Capt. John Anderson told the council.

Lakewood council members also asked Anderson to bring them a proposal to add two or three patrol cars in Lakewood, Lakewood spokesman Don Waldie said.

The regional contract with the two cities, Artesia and Hawaiian Gardens, provides a pool of patrol cars to cover the four cities. The regional agreement will stay intact for two months, giving the Bellflower City Council time to raise money, probably through a utility users tax, to add more patrol cars and cover the city’s rising crime rate.