Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Case Filed against Suspect in a Cold-Case Kidnapping for Robbery and Sexual Assault
DATE/TIME:	Date of Incident:  February 19, 1982
LOCATION:	3700 Block of West Hemlock, Oxnard
VICTIM(S):	Name Withheld
SUSPECT(S):	Delton Lynn Taylor, 55 years, of Bakersfield, CA
PREPARED BY:	Sergeant Christopher Williams, (805) 385-7763 [email protected]
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Detective Michael Young, (805) 385-7606 [email protected]

DETAILS:

In September of 2012, the Oxnard Police Department’s Cold Case team reopened the investigation into a February 19, 1982 kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault that occurred in the parking lot of Smith Food King in the 3700 block of West Hemlock Street in Oxnard.  The investigation was reopened after detectives received a phone call from the victim, whose call was prompted after reading news of an unrelated cold case sexual assault-murder arrest in Oxnard.
 
Detectives worked with the Ventura County Crime Lab and were able to have evidence collected during the initial investigation forensically examined.  In January of 2013, investigators received a CODIS hit on an item of evidence which identified 55 year old Bakersfield resident Delton Lynn Taylor as being a suspect in this crime.  Additional DNA testing confirmed this national DNA database notification.
 
In May of 2013, Taylor was arrested in Pinal, Arizona for a felony warrant on an unrelated charge out of Kern County, California.  He has since been extradited to Kern County and is currently in custody there.  A felony complaint and arrest warrant has been filed against Taylor for his involvement in the February 1982 incident.  He will be extradited to Ventura County to face charges related to this incident upon the completion of criminal proceedings in Kern County.
 
The Oxnard Police Department’s Cold Case team works in conjunction with the Ventura County Cold Case Task Force and the Ventura County Crime Lab. Utilizing the latest advances in forensic science the Department continues to make identifications of suspects in homicides and other serious crimes of violence. The public is encouraged to contact investigators if they have any information regarding unsolved crimes.
 
 
 
DATE / TIME PREPARED:  6/11/13, 0830 Hours

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

INCIDENT:	Oxnard Police partner with Nextdoor.com to help neighbors connect in new ways
DATE/TIME:	November 3, 2013
LOCATION:	City of Oxnard
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Miguel Lopez, Community Affairs Manager, (805) 385-7631, [email protected]

DETAILS: The Oxnard Police Department joins 63 cities in California who have partnered with Nextdoor.com – a private social network – to make it easier for neighbors to communicate with and about issues that matter most in their neighborhoods and our community. It is free and private for neighbors and neighborhoods in Oxnard to use.

 
“Research shows that aside from immediate family and closest friendships, one shares most in common and needs with immediate neighbors and those who live in close proximity – in large part due to where they live naturally, spend most of their time, the schools around them that their children may attend, as well as resources and services they need and share,” says Miguel Lopez, Oxnard Police Community Affairs Manager.
 
In recent years, local and federal government agencies have looked for public-private partnerships to enhance our reach, bring people together, and augment the services we are able to provide.  Aside from the 63 cities in California, Nextdoor has more than 20,000 neighborhoods across the United States using this private-neighborhood network in many ways.
 
Nextdoor is a neighbors-only website that is password-protected and private to you and your neighbors.  Members must verify that they live in the neighborhood before they can join Nextdoor, including having a neighbor already in the private network approve and verify your residence. After that, you can check activities and post at your leisure or have readily available by app on your phone or tablet, anytime.
 
“We, at the Oxnard Police Department, believe that a sense of community lends toward safe neighborhoods.  In today’s world, it is common to encounter neighborhoods in which people don’t know who lives on their own block. Neighbors who know each other interact and communicate with each other, and as a result, tend to look out for and take care of each other,” said Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites.  “Neighbors who communicate are more likely to know what is suspicious or out of place, and are more likely to share information.  They are also more likely to report suspicious activity to the police – and this helps us to address crime problems,” Benites added.
 
Further, Nextdoor takes added steps to secure your privacy, and none of the information you share on Nextdoor is available on search engines.
 
In our partnership, Oxnard Police has worked with Nextdoor to create the city recognized neighborhoods to make it easy to connect with your neighbors and build a stronger and safer place to call home.  It will also make it easier for Oxnard Police to keep community members and neighbors informed about important crime and public safety issues.
 
“This effort will be but another tool the Oxnard Police uses to help build community and communicate with community members and neighbors. Is it a catch-all? No. Will people have reservations? Yes, in the same way some people are still hesitant to join Facebook or were uneasy about Google when it first was created; but, this is a smaller private network amongst neighbors and neighborhoods. It is an individual choice people will make – and one we hope they find of use and utility, that we will utilize to share crime and public safety information,” Lopez added.
 
Oxnard residents can use their Nextdoor neighborhood website to:
·         Recruit more residents to participate in crime watch efforts, neighborhood watch, or neighborhood council,
·         Report suspicious activity and local crime, as well as receive important safety information from Oxnard Police,
·         Find trustworthy local resources, such as babysitters, plumbers, dentist, gardner, handy-man, etc;
·         Organize neighborhood events, such as garage sales and block parties,
·         Get assistance to find lost pets and missing packages,
·         Promote items for sale/free and inquire about items for purchase.
 
“By using Nextdoor.com, information can be quickly shared with neighbors, making it an effective ‘neighborhood watch’ tool,” said Assistant Chief Benites.   
 
With our launch today, the Oxnard Police Department will begin to post crime and public safety information on neighborhood pages.  The information will include crime maps, as well as crime prevention tips.  Our Beat Coordinators will also post neighborhood-specific information on an as-needed basis.
 
Prior to Oxnard’s citywide launch, nearly a thousand people have already signed up and are using Nextdoor, across Oxnard, including Riverpark, Lemonwood, Sea Air and many other neighborhoods.
 
If you are interested in joining your Nextdoor neighborhood website, go to nextdoor.com/Oxnard and enter your address.

If you have any questions during the sign-up process, you can contact Nextdoor Support at help.nextdoor.com.
 
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DATE / TIME PREPARED:  November 3, 2013

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

EVENT:	3rd Annual Heroes & Helpers Event at Target
DATE/TIME:	December 12, 2013, 8 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
LOCATION:	Target at the Collection at RiverPark, Oxnard
PREPARED BY:	Miguel Lopez, Community Affairs Manager (805) 385-7631, [email protected]
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO:	Sgt. Luis Mancha, (805) 385-7653, [email protected]

DETAILS:
(OXNARD, Calif) Thirty deserving and needy children (ages 6 to 12) – one from each elementary schools in in Oxnard School District as well as the private schools in the area – were invited to the 3^rd annual Heroes & Helpers event at Target at the Collection at RiverPark, tomorrow. 
 
Low-income students will be paired with a uniformed Oxnard Police Department officer for a $200 shopping spree at Target.  In addition to shopping, the kids will be treated to a breakfast provided by Panera Bread, photos with Santa (Oxnard Councilman Bryan McDonald), and holiday crafts.  Presents purchased for family members will be wrapped on-site by Department civilian volunteers.
 
Last year, the cop & kid teams dispersed throughout the Target store to spend their $165 gift card any way they chose.  It was awesome to see how so many of the children shopped first for gifts for their siblings and parents before they even thought of selecting something for themselves.  It’s incredibly reassuring and heartwarming to witness children who live everyday with little still find it in themselves to act so selflessly and think first of others before they think to indulge themselves. 
 
Heroes & Helpers was originally made possible by a $1,500 grant from Target with a matching $1,000 contribution toward the event by the Oxnard Peace Officer’s Association (OPOA). OPOA doubled Target’s donation this year and generously gave $2,000.  Target and The Collection each donated $1,000.  The Oxnard community came together to make this year extra special through additional financial donations, these sponsors are Mr. Ivan Chacon and Truth Realty, Tacos by Don Chente, A to Z Law, the Oxnard Police K9 Foundation, and Mr. Al Jones.
 
“For our Department, this day has become a special one that many of us look forward to.  The smile on the kids’ faces, our Officers faces, and everyone who supports this program and makes it possible—the joy you show and share is evident of what is good in our community,” said Oxnard Police Chief Jeri Williams.
 
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DATE / TIME PREPARED:  December 11, 2012, 11:50 a.m.