Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

Drunk Drivers Can’t Hide Behind Halloween Costumes
Drivers Beware:  Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving
 
(Oxnard, CA) As party-going ghosts and goblins celebrate Halloween this October, the Avoid the 14 Ventura County DUI Task Force reminds everyone to keep the party off the road.  In Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Thousand Oaks, and Moorpark, extra DUI saturation patrols will take place with extra officers looking to stop and arrest ‘drunk’ or ‘buzzed’ drivers.  Additionally, every patrol officer and traffic officer on routine patrol countywide will be on alert for the tell-tale signs of impairment.
 
“There isn’t a Halloween costume clever enough to hide an impaired driver who has made the poor decision to get behind the wheel,” said Randy Latimer, Traffic Sergeant for the Oxnard Police Department. “Whether you’ve had one too many or way too many it is just not worth the risk. Remember, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”
 
Nighttime is an especially dangerous time to be on the road. But this weekend and Halloween night is one of the deadliest times of the year for impaired drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 48 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5:59 a.m. Nov. 1) in 2009 involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or higher.
 
“Far too many people spend hours and hours preparing their Halloween costumes and party plans,” said Sergeant Latimer. “But too often impaired drivers never plan ahead for their designated driver and end up making the roads scarier than a horror show.”
 
DUI checkpoints along with regularly scheduled high visibility DUI enforcement serves as a proven deterrent with the goal of removing impaired drivers and creating heightened awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
 
The Avoid the 14 DUI Task Force recommends these simple tips for a safe Halloween celebration:    
 

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin
• Before drinking, designate a sober, non-drinking driver
• If you’re impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation
• If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to report drunk drivers, call 911
• And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.  If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely

 
Funding for this operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
 

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

DETAILS:
 

On December 9, 2011 at about 9:30 a.m., Oxnard Police officers responded to a call regarding a deceased male in an alley in the 100 block of North Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard. At this time, detectives from the Oxnard PD major crimes unit are investigating this case as a suspicious death. An autopsy will be conducted by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.
 
The name of the deceased will not be released until notification of his next of kin has taken place. The VCME will eventually release the identity of this man.
 
Anyone with information about this death is urged to contact Detective Jeff Kay at (805) 385-7650 or the violent crimes hotline at (805) 982-7070. If you wish to remain anonymous you may contact Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or visit their website at http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/index.aspx to submit a tip via text or email.
 
 

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DATE / TIME PREPARED:  December 9, 2011 / 1:00 p.m.

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

UPDATE:
During the course of the investigation, investigators were able to identify the person who stabbed Castillo. The suspect was identified as Luis Andrade Rodriguez, 33, of Oxnard. On January 16 at about 6:20 p.m., with the assistance of the Special Enforcement Unit, Rodriguez was located in the 200 block of East Pleasant Valley Road and taken into custody without incident. A search warrant was served at Rodriguez’ residence and several items of evidentiary value were seized. Rodriguez was booked into the Ventura County Jail and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Because this is still an active investigation, no further details will be released at this time.
 
Text of original news release:
At about 7:15 a.m., officers received a call of a stabbing in the 5100 block of Charles Street. When officers responded, they located a victim with a single knife stab wound to his back. The victim stated he was attacked by a single suspect. The motive for the attack was unknown and the crime does not appear to be gang related. The victim was transported to a local hospital and listed in stable condition.
 
The suspect is still outstanding and possibly lives in the area of the crime scene.
 
If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to call Detective Jose Velazquez at (805) 385-3982 or Oxnard PD at (805) 385-7740.  If you wish to remain anonymous you may call the violent crimes hotline at
(805) 982-7070 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/contactus.aspx to submit a tip via text or email.
 
 

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  DATE / TIME PREPARED:  1/16/12 10:30 p.m.
 

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

At about 2:41 p.m., officers received a call of a possible stabbing in the area of San Juan and Bard Road. When officers arrived they contacted a 17-year-old victim who had sustained a single stab wound to the chest. Witnesses in the area advised that the victim was involved in a fight with another person when he was stabbed. The suspect was accompanied by two to three other young men who were not involved in the fight.  The motive for the fight and stabbing are unknown. We are unsure if the incident is gang related. The victim was transported to a local hospital and listed in critical but stable condition.
 
The suspect is still outstanding and we are looking to contact the other young men who were with the suspect during the incident.
 
If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to call Oxnard PD at (805) 385-7740 or Detective Cody Collet at 486-6228.  If you wish to remain anonymous you may call the violent crimes hotline at (805) 982-7070 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/contactus.aspx to submit a tip via text or email.

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Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

[OXNARD, CA] – On Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Oxnard Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications for disposal to the Oxnard Police Department at 251 South C Street. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
 
Last October, Americans turned in 377,080 pounds – 188.5 tons – of prescription drugs at more than 5,300 sites operated by the DEA and nearly 4,000 state and local law enforcement partners.  The Oxnard Police Department accounted for more than 1000 pounds during this past collection.  In its three previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners took in almost a million pounds – nearly 500 tons – of pills. 
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses attributed to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Four days after the first event, Congress passed the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow an “ultimate user” of controlled substance medications to dispose of them by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. The Act also allows the Attorney General to authorize long term care facilities to dispose of their residents’ controlled substances in certain instances. DEA is drafting regulations to implement the Act, a process that can take as long as 24 months. Until new regulations are in place, the Oxnard Police Department and the DEA will continue to hold prescription drug take-back events.
 
The agencies in Ventura County participating in the event are: Oxnard PD, Simi Valley PD, Port Hueneme PD, Ventura PD and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
 
 
 

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Jeri Williams Chief of Police

Oxnard Police Department R. Jason Benites Assistant Chief Scott Whitney Assistant Chief

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

Oxnard, California – Motorists who refuse to wear their seat belts – beware. The 2012 start-of-summer Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization kicks off May 21 to help save lives by cracking down on those who don’t buckle up. 
 
The Oxnard Police Department is joining with other state and local law enforcement officers to help save more lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.  Seat belts are the most effective piece of life saving equipment on your car.
 
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2010 nationally, 61 percent of the 10,647 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes overnight were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash, compared to 42 percent during the daytime hours.
 
“Too many drivers and passengers on the road at night are not wearing their seat belts, and it all too often ends in tragedy,” said Commander Andrew Salinas.  “Our goal is to save more lives, so the Oxnard Police Department will be out enforcing seat belt laws around the clock.”
 
Seat belt use saves thousands of lives across America each year and  the Oxnard Police Department is helping spread the word. NHTSA statistics show that in 2010 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide.
 
Yet, too many motorists may need a tough reminder. In 2010, 22,187 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in motor vehicle crashes, according to NHTSA, and 51 percent of them were NOT wearing seat belts at the time of their fatal crashes.
 
Younger motorists and men are particularly at risk.  Data shows that among teen and young adult passenger vehicle occupants in 2010, ages 18-34, who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 62 percent were not buckled up at the time of the crash – the highest percentage of any age group.  The number jumps to 66 percent when just men in this age group are included.
 
While this year’s Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization runs from May 21 through June 3, motorists should know that officers are out enforcing seat belt laws year-round.  Total costs of a first time ticket are at least $142
 
 

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