OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

At 5:30 this morning seven Oxnard traffic officers set out to find people who had left their vehicles running and unattended. This continues to be an on-going problem in the city of Oxnard. In fact, approximately 1/3 of all cars reported stolen in Oxnard are stolen when left running and unattended.

Between 5:30 and 8:00 am these seven officers wrote 28 citations – each costing the perpetrator a fine of $65.

We have done these types of sweeps in the past and will continue to do them in the future. The last two such operations yielded more than 60 citations each so we are hopeful that Oxnard residents are getting the message that this type of behavior is unacceptable.

David Keith, Spokesperson

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Attempted Murder
DATE/TIME:	10/04/08 at 0250 hours
LOCATION:	Rose Avenue at Gonzales Road
VICTIM/S:	20 year-old male from Oxnard
SUSPECT/S:	No description available
SUSPECT VEHICLE:	Light-colored four-door sedan
PREPARED BY:	Detective Jeff Long

DETAILS:

ON 10/04/08, AT APPROXIMATELY 0250 HOURS, TWO VEHICLES WERE STOPPED FOR THE RED LIGHT AT ROSE AVENUE AND GONZALES ROAD. TWO SUSPECTS EXITED ONE VEHICLE AND CONFRONTED THE VICITM IN THE OTHER CAR. DURING THE ENSUING ALTERCATION THE VICTIM WAS STABBED SEVERAL TIMES.

THE VICITM WAS TRANSPORTED TO ST. JOHN’S REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER BY AMBULANCE. HE IS LISTED IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

ANYONE WITH INFORMATION REGARDING THIS INCIDENT CAN CONTACT DETECTIVE JEFF LONG AT (805) 486-6506 OR LEAVE A MESSAGE AT THE VIOLENT CRIMES HOTLINE AT (805) 982-7070.

AN INVESTIGATION IS CONTINUING.

When compared to 2006 figures, the number of reportable crimes in Oxnard declined 1.6% in 2007. This decline is part of a consistent trend in Oxnard that has lasted since the early 1990’s.

The reported crime figures reflect Part One Crimes, which are offense types that law enforcement agencies report to the United States Department of Justice. These offenses include the violent crimes of homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crimes that fall into Part One offenses include burglary, automobile theft, larceny (theft) and arson.

During the 2007 calendar year, there were 5,189 reported Part I crimes, compared to 5,273 in 2006. The chart below summarizes Oxnard’s 2006 and 2007 statistics, showing the annual differences:

Part I Crimes	CY 2006	CY 2007	Numerical Difference	Percent Change
Violent Crimes
Homicide	14	9	-5	-35.7%
Rape	34	33	-1	-2.9%
Robbery	418	453	35	8.4%
Aggravated Assault	377	350	-27	-7.2%
Total	843	845	2	0.2%
Property Crimes
Burglary	946	867	-79	-8.4%
Auto Theft	614	540	-74	-12.1%
Larceny	2816	2870	54	1.9%
Arson	54	67	13	24.1%
Total	4430	4344	-86	-1.9%
Grand Total	5273	5189	-84	-1.6%

The largest reduction within the violent crime category was in homicides, which decreased by 35.7%. There were nine homicides during 2007, five fewer than the prior year. Arrests were made on six of the nine cases.

Property crimes decreased 1.9% in 2007, with 4,344 crimes reported. This compares to 4,430 crimes in 2006.

There was a significant decrease (12%) in auto thefts this year, with 74 fewer crimes reported in 2007 than in 2006. This is the third consecutive year in which there were significant reductions in this crime category. The City of Oxnard had a 19.6% auto theft reduction from 2005 to 2006 and a 26.6% reduction from 2004 to 2005. These reductions are a product of continued joint effort by Oxnard Police Department and California Highway Patrol to reduce vehicle thefts. Another factor contributing to the reduction is increased public awareness as well as increased effort of people to lock their vehicles and to remove personal items.

There were 79 fewer burglaries reported in 2007, an 8.3% reduction from the prior year. A review of this crime category revealed that the reduction was evenly disbursed among residential and commercial burglaries. The reduction to burglaries is attributed to community policing efforts by Oxnard Police Department and better community awareness to keep their businesses and residences secured.

The Oxnard Police Department would like to thank the public for its support and the role it plays in helping address crime in our city.

Two new laws dealing with the use of wireless telephones while driving go into effect July 1, 2008. Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions concerning these new laws.

When do the new wireless telephone laws take effect?

The new laws take effect July 1, 2008

What is the difference between the two laws?

The first prohibits all drivers from using a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle. (Vehicle Code (VC)

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Robbery and Assault with a Deadly Weapon
DATE/TIME:	10/04/08 at 0315 hours
LOCATION:	Vagabond Motel located at 1245 North Oxnard Blvd.
VICTIM/S:	18 and 26 year-old Oxnard residents
SUSPECT/S:	21 year-old Hispanic male 23 year-old Black male
PREPARED BY:	Senior Officer Chris Williams

DETAILS:

On 10/4/08 at approximately 0315 hours, the victims were attending a party at the Vagabond Motel. They were approached by two subjects who demanded their money and jewelry. When one of the victims refused to hand over his jewelry he was struck in the head with a beer bottle. The other victim was struck several times with a baseball bat.

Both suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of money and are still outstanding.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact detective Paul Knapp at (805) 385-7796 or leave a message on the Violent Crimes Hotline at (805) 982-7070.

An investigation is continuing.

The Oxnard Police Department Graffiti Investigations Unit has been hard at work. Senior Officer Sandra Kujawa and Officer Mike Thomas made several recent arrests of major graffiti vandals, helping reduce the frequency of graffiti vandalism in Oxnard. For example, in February 2008 a graffiti vandal was arrested and charged with 79 counts of graffiti vandalism. Another arrest by the Graffiti Investigations Unit included an adult who was arrested for 90 misdemeanor and 90 felony counts of vandalism. Yet another adult vandal arrested for 95 counts of graffiti vandalism. Since January of this year some eighty civil citations, with fines of up to $1,000.00 were issued to graffiti offenders, who will be held accountable for the damage that they do to the community. With these significant arrests, civil citations and with the help of the public, the Graffiti Investigations Unit is working to eradicate graffiti vandalism in Oxnard.

The City of Oxnard, the Oxnard Police Department, and the Community have made it a priority to eradicate graffiti. Graffiti can be reported on the Oxnard Graffiti Hotline at 385-8010, or at the Oxnard Police Department at 385-7743.

The Oxnard Police Department would like to thank the community for their continued assistance in addressing this problem.

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Two students injured in hit and run collision
DATE/TIME:	09-25-08 at 0730 hours
LOCATION:	800 block of Cooper Road
VICTIM/S:	Two 15 year-old females from Oxnard
SUSPECT VEHICLE:	Red older model compact with male driver and female passenger
PREPARED BY:	Commander Tom Chronister

DETAILS:

Oxnard police are investigating a hit-and-run collision resulting in the injury of two Pacifica High School students this morning.

At 0730 hours, Oxnard police and fire received a call of a pedestrian hit-and-run collision near Ramona School at 804 Cooper Road.

Preliminary information from the scene indicates the two teenage students were walking in the marked crosswalk at Bonita Ave. and Cooper Rd. when they were hit by the suspect vehicle. The driver fled the scene northbound on Bonita St.

Both pedestrians were transported to St. John’s Regional Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries; one by private vehicle and one by ambulance.

The driver is wanted for felony hit-and-run. Any witnesses to the crash are encourage to report their observations anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (805) 385-TALK.

An investigation is continuing. (Names of the injured pedestrians are not being released because notification of next of kin has yet to be confirmed.)

The Oxnard Police Department will be premiering its new TV show Straight to You on Monday, March 31 at 8:30 pm on Time Warner Cable Channel 36.

The show will air once per day through most of Ventura County- the air times are Monday through Wednesday at 8:30 pm and Thursday through Sunday at 4:00 pm.

The program runs 30 minutes and features various segments highlighting the Oxnard Police Department, crime prevention tips, and other important police related news.

The program is sponsored by Wal-Mart and features David Keith, OPD Spokesperson, as its host.

Previously, David hosted over 1,200 episodes of the StreetBeat TV show for OPD which ran from 1985-2006.

Police Records Technician Michael Lorenzana was recognized by the Oxnard City Council as the City’s Employee of the Quarter at their September 23, 2008 meeting. The award is for the third quarter of 2008. Consideration for this award requires a nomination and then a careful review is conducted by the City’s Employee Recognition Committee.

Michael is currently assigned to the Records Bureau as a Records Technician II. He is a trainer and works primarily with a State database system that is accessed by patrol officers and investigators. Michael also helps out in the IT department and is responsible for the connectivity of the mobile data computers in the patrol cars.

Michael was nominated by his current supervisor, Margaret Tobin. In her nomination, she recognized Michael because he truly represents what the City of Oxnard stands for, the City that cares. The work he does for others to help them do their job, is what is most important to him. Michael is always willing to stop what he is doing to help others. Many employees within the department seek out Michael as a resource because of his willingness to help.

Michael has always been an employee who is compassionate and understanding of the customer needs and he works diligently to ensure that their needs have been met. He is approachable and polite in all of his interactions. Michael takes pride in the quality of service he provides, which reflects positively on the department.

Michael very modestly accepted the award and said that he takes pride in the work that he does. He said he is proud to work for this City and tries to be a positive representative of the department.

Earlier in the year, Michael received the Civilian of the Year award for 2008 at the Oxnard Police Department’s annual awards luncheon.

Congratulations, Michael!

Financial assets forfeited by convicted criminals are converted into funds that provide law enforcement with new tools that make investigators’ work more efficient and effective. Because of the availability of asset forfeiture funds, the Oxnard Police Department operates two new Video Forensics Labs for importing and enhancing video and still images from a variety of sources. Once the digital evidence is imported and enhanced by this powerful tool, it is used in investigations that create a safer environment for the citizens of Oxnard.

The Video Forensics Labs are built around two powerful Macintosh computers running multiple operating systems simultaneously, including Apple’s OS X as well as Windows 98, XP and Vista. This design allows officers to quickly import digital video from a wide range of personal and business surveillance cameras without the need for a room full of computers. Analog-to-digital media converters allow older VHS, Betamax, Hi-8 and other formats to be viewed and perfected on the Macs and printed on archival-quality paper or exported back to tape, CD, DVD or other storage media.

The systems are easily upgraded and expanded to include other operating systems, video software and additional methods of importing evidence and exporting material that helps to solve the case. The Oxnard Police Department has made progress working with businesses and residents for years, assisting them with their video evidence. With these new labs, the tools for keeping Oxnard safe continue to improve.