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Police

Integrity, Intelligence, Initiative

The nearly 400 employees and more than 100 volunteers of the Lakewood Police Department are committed to providing the highest possible level of police service to our community. The mission of the LPD is "to serve and protect with integrity, intelligence and initiative."

Current Career Opportunities Vacation Check Program

Department Accreditation

CALEA hosts an Accreditation Public Comment Portal
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is considered “The Gold Standard in Public Safety.” CALEA's public portal receives comments regarding an agency’s compliance with standards, engagement in the service community, delivery of public safety services, and overall candidacy for accredited status. These comments can be in the form of commendations or concerns. The overall intent of the accreditation process is to provide Lakewood Police Department with information to support continuous improvement, as well as foster the pursuit of professional excellence.

Department Head

Chief Smith is a veteran law enforcement professional with four decades of experience, over nine years as the police chief in Roswell, NM. A strong believer in education, Chief Smith has earned a PhD in Global Leadership, with research founded in Organizational Leadership. He earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Boston University.

Wildfires, Floods, Evacuations: Disaster Updates & Information

In the event of widespread emergencies in Lakewood, such as wildfires, floods, disasters or evacuations, get updates and instructions at:

Lakewood.org/Emergency

About the Organization

In 1969, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County officially became the City of Lakewood - the fourth-largest city in Colorado. The Lakewood Department of Public Safety became operational on May 3, 1970, and in 1987, its name was changed to the Lakewood Police Department.

The new department predictably experienced growing pains but continued solid development under the leadership of seven police administrations. As of this writing in August 2023, the ninth and current chief, Philip Smith, with a command staff of three division chiefs lead a department of more than 400 employees and 100-plus volunteers. The department has relocated several times through the decades. In 1984, it moved to its permanent site at 445 S. Allison Pkwy.

Since 1970, the motto: Integrity, Intelligence, Initiative has defined the way the department does business. The goal of every employee is to serve the citizens of Lakewood with the highest level of commitment. In 1986, the Lakewood Police Department was the second agency in Colorado - and the 24th in the nation - to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. To maintain this accreditation, the department is required to meet more than 479 nationally recognized law enforcement standards every four years with an onsite assessment being conducted annually.

An extensive department history is detailed in a recently published book celebrating its 40th anniversary, "A Celebration of Excellence, The Lakewood Police Department, 1970-2010."

Order a copy of "A Celebration of Excellence, The Lakewood Police Department, 1970-2010", ($10).
Copies of the book are available for checkout at the Belmar location of the Jefferson County library system. The Standley Lake Library has a reference-only copy.

2023 LPD Annual Report(PDF, 14MB)