Lakewood Civic

Many citizens in Baytown have home alarm systems that are not registered/permitted with the city.

This is a contact issue for the police department: When the signal or call comes in they attempt to contact the homeowner and many are at work or not at home and they do not have a second or alternative contact number to reach someone.  Many of these are false alarms and are taking officers off the street to check out a false alarm.

Refer to “Alarm Permit Information and Instructions” per the Baytown city website. Here are the highlights:

1. All residential alarms that can emit a signal intended to summon police or fire services must have a city permit issued. Responsibility for obtaining an alarm permit is upon the alarm system user.  Failure to comply, per Baytown Code of Ordinance, Chapter 30, Article II, may result in a misdemeanor violation punishable by fines not to exceed $500.

2. The application for the Alarm Permit is on line and at City Hall.  There is no fee to obtain or renew an alarm permit.  However, excessive false alarms at the alarm site will be assessed fines.  There is a matrix for false alarm fines on the website.

3. The permits are valid for 1 year and must be renewed at least 10 days prior to the permit’s expiration date.

For any questions on alarm permits or applications please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (281) 420-6504.

Councilman Charles Johnson will be holding a Town Hall Meeting on Feb. 28th at 7pm at the Lakewood Church of Christ on Honeysuckle.

The City Manager and a couple of other department heads will be in attendance.

Please post any questions you have for Charles using the Contact tab at the top of this website so he can be prepared.

The Lakewood Civic Association is accepting potential candidates for the board. Four of the eight board positions are up for election each year. The ballot of the candidates is finalized and mailed out mid April. The returned ballots of dues paying association members are counted and the elected board members are announced at the annual meeting on May 4th.

Submission of potential candidates can be made to any board member or via this website using the “Contacts” -> “Lakewood Civic Board” tab in the top left hand corner.

Officer Steward Beasley wanted to share some info with our neighborhood:

“We have been finding card readers or skimmers in town for several years. If you are not familiar with skimmers, they are simply a device that has the ability to read and store your credit/debit card information. Your card information can then be pulled from the skimmer and loaded onto a blank card such as a gift card, essentially cloning your card.

As I mentioned, we have been finding these for a number of years. However, the frequency in which we are finding them is increasing. Moreover, the technology is becoming better and the ability to detect them is becoming more difficult.

The pictures below are of a skimmer that was located at an ATM at one of the banks in Baytown. Because this is an ongoing investigation I am not authorized to give specifics of the case. My intent is to show that this is a real threat and it is here in town.

We have also recovered skimmers from inside stores. In the pictures below, the faceplate is fake but professionally fabricated to look identical to the original.

Make a habit of inspecting the card reader before you insert your card. If anything looks suspicious notify an employee or call the police. Reconcile your accounts daily if you are a person who uses your card frequently and look for charges that are not yours. Remember your card will still work, if it has been cloned.

If you want to learn more about these and other trending crimes as well as how we catch these criminals you should sign up for the Baytown Citizens Police Academy. The first class starts Tuesday, January 31. Contact Officer Beasley if you are interested in joining the upcoming class.

If you guys could get this passed on to your folks I would appreciate it. Let me know if you have any questions.”

Stewart Beasley

Crime Prevention Officer

Baytown Police Department

Congratulations light up Lakewood winners!

307 Post Oak, James & Julie Futrell

224 Rue Orleans, Tim & Melissa Christensen

208 N. Burnet, Kevin & Fran Parent

226 Lakewood Drive, Barbara Gibson

307 Pin Oak, David Cruz

Hey everyone.  We have seen a few cases of cars being burglarized where the method of entry was a universal remote key. It appears the suspect has a key fob that he is able to program for any vehicle that he wishes. Most cases, it appears he is targeting vehicles which may have firearms inside as that is all that was taken. Many of the victim’s vehicles had a “thin blue line” sticker or some sort of tactical sticker on them. This is not specific to Baytown. Cases are being seen throughout the Houston area.

Please don’t leave weapons in your vehicle. If you are a weapon carrier, don’t advertise such via stickers on your car. This doesn’t make you tough or feared, it makes you a target.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Stewart Beasley

Crime Prevention Officer

Baytown Police Department