Lakewood police eye camera near Walmart
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LAKEWOOD – Lakewood-Busti police are looking to submit a grant application that could result in cameras at Fairmount and Fairdale avenues in the village to better monitor traffic around the Walmart Supercenter.
Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced grant applications are being accepted for the $75 million Law Enforcement Technology Grant program that makes money available to police departments and sheriffs' offices to improve technology and modernize equipment, allowing them to more effectively solve and prevent crime, and improve officer and community safety. The area near Fairmount and Fairdale avenue marks a location that is typically the location of a majority of the Lakewood-Busti Police Department's call volume between incidents at Walmart and traffic accidents at the busy intersection.
"We’re looking at getting a brand-new speed trailer that will have a message board on it. We’re looking into a drone, and then intersection cameras at Fairmont and Fairdale. The Department has been having a lot of issues there, obviously because of Walmart with the shoplifting, but also accidents and just traffic going up and down (Route) 394," the minutes of the July 13 Lakewood Village Board meeting state.
Administered by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, the LETECH program can pay for a variety of equipment and technology, including but not limited to acoustic gunshot detection systems, drones, counter-drone mitigation systems, 3-D crime scene laser scanners, trauma kits and automated external defibrillators, body-worn cameras and vests, traffic and safety equipment, lighting, specialized records management systems, and patrol vehicle and officer equipment. Agencies also may purchase equipment and technology to support 911 centers, emergency management operations, parking and code enforcement, and communication platforms to engage with the community.
The Lakewood-Busti Police Department is one of 500 agencies outside of New York City eligible to apply for LETECH grants. The state Division of Criminal Justice Services established a tiered funding system, with maximum grant awards based on the number of full-time, equivalent sworn officers that agencies employ, ranging from $100,000 for departments with 10 or fewer officers to $6 million for departments with more than 1,001 officers.
"Keeping New Yorkers safe means ensuring the men and women who protect our communities have the tools and technology they need to meet today's public safety challenges," Hochul said in a recent news release. "This investment will help agencies modernize equipment, strengthen public safety, and improve information sharing capabilities to enhance the work they do to protect the communities they serve, while continuing our comprehensive approach to reducing crime across the state."
In addition to the technology grant, the Lakewood-Busti Police Department recently was awarded $31,000 for a second consecutive year through the District Attorney Discovery Grant program. In 2025 funding awarded through the Discovery Grant program paid for surveillance cameras inside and outside of the department. Second we have upgraded the monitoring system associated with the cameras and the data storage. The department also began securing the department's entrances with a new keyless fob system. The 2026 grant will pay for additional infrastructure and technology upgrades in the department.
In other news, the Lakewood Fire Department responded to eight calls on the Fourth of July, including one to extinguish a brush fire at Lakewood Beach from the Fourth of July Fireworks. Kurt Hallberg, Lakewood fire chief, recommended adjustments in the future for the annual fireworks display, including a barge anchored offshore similar to what is used in Mayville for Mayville's fireworks display.