Spike in the Number of Cases In City’s Housing Court in 2012

There was an overall decrease in the number of cases at the Lakewood Municipal Court in 2012.

The exception to the trend was the number of cases before the city’s housing court.

The number of cases before Judge Patrick Carroll in housing court jumped from 156 in 2011 to 258 cases in 2012. One of the reasons for the increase, he wrote in his annual report, is multiple charges against the same defendant.

“While there may appear to be greater emphasis on housing code violations in light of the relatively small number of cases,” Carroll wrote, “these cases are extremely important because of the age of many Lakewood homes.”

Many of the cases involve the usual suspects: painting, landscaping and masonry.

“Building code compliance became more challenging last year with the increase of foreclosures and vacant homes,” according to the report.

One of the solutions, Carroll wrote, is the city’s diversion program that assists property owners to get their property up to code.

“With the assistance of the city administration, the diversion program has become a useful tool for the court to bring houses into compliance with the city’s building and safety codes.”