Public Safety Advisory Committee flags attendance challenges, plans outreach on traffic safety
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Summary
The Public Safety Advisory Committee reported spotty attendance in 2025 and plans more frequent meetings in 2026; councilmembers urged community outreach on driver behavior, roundabout safety and stronger staff support for PSAC volunteers.
At Monday's Lakewood City Council study session, the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) outlined accomplishments in 2025 and concerns for 2026, including difficulty maintaining a quorum and the need for broader community outreach on traffic safety.
Camry Wilson, PSAC chair, said the committee provided four presentations in 2025, participated in Truck & Tractor Day and attended neighborhood association meetings, but often lacked a quorum at quarterly meetings. "We were meeting quarterly, and several times...we didn't have enough for a quorum," Wilson said, and the committee will move to meeting every other month in 2026 to improve participation.
Councilmembers pressed PSAC for specific community-safety strategies. Councilmember Brandcenter suggested convening community conversations about driver behavior, creating a short-term community group to recommend ways the city might influence speeding and discourteous driving, and promoting roundabout safety. "Selling the benefits of traffic circles...is perhaps something that, while tangentially public safety, the impact is greatest on safety," Brandcenter said.
PSAC members said youth engagement can energize outreach; Wilson noted youth council volunteers helped at Truck & Tractor Day and that PSAC will invite presentations such as the marine services unit of the police department.
Several councilmembers urged PSAC and city staff to make volunteer roles more substantive and to provide clearer feedback and touch points so committee members feel their time produces outcomes. Ray (a long-time PSAC member) emphasized that the committee can be a valuable conduit to neighborhood input when it has stable membership and clearer staff support.
No formal council action was taken; staff and PSAC agreed to continued coordination and to bring additional traffic-safety outreach ideas to future meetings.