Lakewood Civic

See link to document for combined crime report August through November for Lakewood:

Aug – Nov 2018 Crime report 

I recently reported that one of our neighbors had been chased by loose dogs while walking in Lakewood. The City of Baytown (COB) issued a citation to the dog’s owner.

The Lakewood Civic Association (LCA) receives numerous complaints regarding loose dogs. Several neighbors have been chased by dogs, fallen off of bicycles or have had to swerve off roads to avoid hitting a dog. Per the COB: “Your dog must be confined at all times, even on your property, by a sufficient fence and/or humanely chained in such a manner that he cannot leave your property. Failure to properly confine your dog can result in a fine and/or summons to Municipal Court.” Violators may be fined up to $500.

The LCA has met with the COB to  address the issue of loose dogs to protect our neighborhood. The city already recognizes loose dogs as an issue for all neighborhoods and is taking steps to prosecute more owners who violate the ordinance.

What you can do to help:

• If you have a dog, be a responsible pet owner and ensure it is contained at all times; either in your house, a fenced yard, or walked on a lease. Have your dog microchipped and have it wear a collar with a tag so you can quickly get your pet back.
• If your pet inadvertently gets loose, post it on NextDoor Lakewood and look for it. Do not wait for it to come home.
• If you see a loose dog, contact COB Animal Control via the Health Department at (281) 420-5384 or report it through the COB app. You can remain anonymous when making a report. After hours and aggressive animal attacks should go to the non-emergency phone number (281) 422-8371, unless it is an emergency then call 911. You can also contact the LCA board via the website and we will follow up with the city.

Fines for loose dogs increase for repeated violations. Most people in our neighborhood are responsible pet owners, they care about their animals and do not let them roam. However there are some people who purposely let their dogs out or do not adequately contain them. I do not want to see our neighbors or pets injured by loose dogs and I expect pet owners do not want to pay fines for letting their pets wander the neighborhood. Animal Control will be patrolling our neighborhood more frequently and responding to complaints received. They will be issuing fines instead of just warnings. Let’s be good neighbors and responsible pet owners and eliminate the problem of loose dogs.

Per Officer Beasley:

I hope everyone is having a great summer. There appears to be a slight increase in activity in Lakewood. I have asked our patrol division to spend some extra time in and around Lakewood in the early morning hours. Your neighborhood is only as secure as you make it. Don’t be a victim because you gave someone an easy opportunity. Remember…

·        Lock your vehicles

·        Do not leave things of value in vehicles

·        Report suspicious behavior

·        Report crimes to the police. We cant deploy assets to an area if we are unaware of an issue.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Officer Stewart Beasley

Baytown Police Department

July 7 Update from Officer Beasley:

“Our detectives have arrested the person on the video you posted. Most of the stolen items that were reported to the police were recovered along with many other items that do not belong to the actor but have not been reported stolen. PEOPLE NEED TO REPORT BURGLARIES TO THE POLICE. We recover items all the time that were stolen but the actor can not remember where he took them.

Stewart Beasley , Crime Prevention Officer, Baytown Police Department”

Original Posting:

See link to video of a BMV actor on July 4th from the Lakewood subdivison. He stole about $450 worth of property from a truck parked at 100 Caldwell Dr. The suspect is a skinny white or Hispanic male with a thick beard. Mid to late 20’s. Probably lives in or around that area judging by his attire and flip flops.

Please contact the Baytown Police if you recognize the suspect.

Crime reports are available again from the Baytown Police (last available report was Sept 2016)

The calls for service are high because the grid takes in part of Decker. So between Decker and Bayway you can see there are a lot of traffic accidents.

Let the Baytown police know if you can identify this subject in the photo and video below. He was spotted on the victim’s  camera on S. Burnett, when a burglary of a motor vehicle was reported. Across the street,  there was a theft of lawn from a motor vehicle, during night shift.

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.

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