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Home My WebLink About1998 Moorpark Police Annual Report6 .2-(�,) Pofice Services Forming a partnership to serve our Community... Vofunteers Moorpark Police Department 1998 Annual Mission We, the members of the Ventura County Sheriffs Department are committed to safeguard the lives and property of residents of Ventura County and respond to public concerns in a manner which promotes neighborhoods free from the fear of crime. M�- Strategy Our strategy for accomplishing this mission is to preserve the peace, prevent crime, apprehend offenders, facilitate problem solving community partnerships, enforce laws, provide secure and humane detention for persons lawfully entrusted to our care and display empathy and respect for the dignity of all individuals. Message from Sheriff Bob Brooks It is my pleasure to present this report on the accomplish- ments and activities of the Police Department during 1998. Moorpark continues to be the safest city in Ventura County thanks to the hardworking men and women of the Moorpark Police Department, our many partnerships with the citizens of the community and the outstanding support and leadership from City Management and the City Council. } 1998 marked the 15th year during which the Sheriff's Depart- ment has provided law enforcement services to the City of Moorpark. While there have been many changes over the r years, our basic mission has remained the same, "...to safeguard lives and property ... and to respond to public Bob Brooks concerns in a manner which promotes neighborhoods free Sheriff from the fear of crime." Moorpark's low crime rate, quality of life and the bond of trust established with the community we serve is a tribute to our staff and many volunteers, and is evidence of our ability to provide quality service over time. Even with statistics showing that overall crime fell 17% in 1998, we still believe that the best measurement of our success is the fact that most residents feel safe and secure in their neighborhoods. There were many special accomplishments during the past year that deserve mentioning. Without a doubt, a major milestone was reached with the opening of the new Police Services Center in October. This facility now houses all of the Police Department, with the exception of patrol deputies, which are stationed in nearby Thousand Oaks. This move gave us greater community access and improved staff efficiency. Most importantly, we now have more deputies and support staff actually stationed in the community we serve. 1998 was also the first year that the National Night Out event was held in Moorpark. This was a tremendous success, with 12 different neighborhoods from across the city coming together for a block party that emphasized crime prevention and meeting new friends and neighbors. Our Police Volunteer program grew to 25 active members who help staff the Service Center and have collectively contributed over 12,200 hours since their founding five years ago. It is from this dedicated group that our newly formed Citizen Report Writer program has grown. These volunteers assist our patrol staff with certain duties which in turn allows the deputies to respond to critical calls for service in a more timely manner. We would also like to thank our other partners in service to Moorpark: The Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, the business community, the Moorpark Unified School District and the many individual citizens who support and participate in our DARE, Safe Driving and Neighborhood Watch programs. I sincerely hope that the information contained in this report will provide a meaningful recap of your Police Department and its accomplishments during 1998. For the new year, we will continue to work closely with city government and the community to explore and develop new and innovative responses to problems in a proactive manner, and we will strive to continue to foster our strong police -community partnerships that help to keep Moorpark a safe and exciting community in which to live, work, play and visit. Our History In 1887, Robert W. Poindexter was granted title to the land that is now known as Moorpark. He named the City after the Moorpark Apricot that grew abundantly in the area. Poindexter established several city streets and planted the impressive California Pepper trees that are still standing proudly on High Street in the downtown area. Throughout Moorpark's history of agricultural and contemporary living, police services have been provided by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. In 1983, the community of Moorpark incorporated into a City and contracted with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department to provide municipal police services. Since 1983, the Moorpark Police Department has served the City of Moorpark from the Sheriffs East Valley Station in Thousand Oaks. As one might imagine, providing police services for the City of Moorpark from the City of Thousand Oaks provided its own challenges, especially for a police agency that believes so strongly in its community policing philosophy. Moorpark Police Move Into Town In August of 1998, with the help of Moorpark City Officials, City Council members, and the Moorpark Unified School District, the Police Department moved into the City. Vacant space located at the Moorpark Unified School District Administrative building was converted into the new.Moorpark Police Service Center. On October 3, 1998, the new Service Center was opened with several hundred mem- bers of the community attending the event to celebrate this milestone in police services. Mayor Patrick Hunter joins Sheriff Bob Brooks and Captain Mike Lewis for the ceremonial ribbon cutting Located downtown at 26 Flory Avenue, the new Police Service Center provides the City of Moorpark with Administrative, Investigative, Traffic, Community Policing, D.A.R.E., and Volunteer Services from a centralized location. The local station has not only allowed the Police Department to have greater interaction with the community, but it has made it more convenient for the community to access police services. This fact is evident in the many people who daily come into the station to file police reports, talk with deputies and detectives, have their fingerprints taken for work clearances, or the local children who come into the station to ask deputies for their personal trading cards. Staffing One of the things that Moorpark Patrol Deputies take pride in is their ability to serve a community of 30,000 people. The national average ratio for officer -to -population is 2.3 officers per 1000 population. In Moorpark, the ratio is 1.4 officers per 1000 population (22 officers serving 30,000). We attribute the success to a highly qualified police department staff, good training, and the ever present desire to provide quality service to the community we serve. However, none of it would be possible without the overwhelming support that the deputies receive from their community! FY 1998/99 Cost of Police Services Vehicle Charges 4.2% Crime Prevention Services 8.0% Investigatioi Services 11.9% Administrative Miscellaneous & Support 6.6% 7.0% Traffic Services 8.9% Total Cost of Police Services $3,185,078* Patrol Services 53.4% * The actual cost of Police Services is reduced by $83,851 from State/Federal Grants and by $72,828 from Moorpark Unified School District's contribution toward DARE officer positions. Patrol Services Certainly, the most recognizable elements of any police department is that of patrol services. Moorpark Patrol Deputies are uniformed officers who are assigned ""beats", or specific areas of responsibility. One of the most important elements of Community Oriented Policing is the concept of ownership. Because Moorpark Deputies work consistently in their beat of responsibility, they naturally develop a sense of pride and ownership for that area. There are two beats in the City of Moorpark. The 1"2A" beat includes the Peach Hill, Mountain Meadows, and Buttercreek neighborhoods, as well as the southwest potion of downtown. The'"2B" beat includes the central and east part of downtown, as well as the Campus Park neighborhoods. There is also a ""2C" car on duty 18 hours each day, during the busiest times of the day, providing backup to the beat cars. Each of the Moorpark Patrol Deputies also serves the community through at least one other specialized co -lateral assignment. These assignments include a bicycle patrol, a specialized gang task force, commercial vehicle enforcement and community liaisons. Calls for Service In 1998, patrol deputies responded to 7,920 calls for service. Calls for service are requests from the public for a deputy which include `1911" emergency calls, domestic disturbances, traffic accidents, lost or stolen property, lost or missing children, and many others. When deputies are not responding to calls for service they are busy conducting follow up criminal investigations, enforcing traffic laws, patrolling neighborhoods, schools and businesses, and developing relationships with the people in their beat of responsibility. 1998 Calls for Service Total Calls for Service by Type 10m0 TRAFFIC VIOLENT ALARM CALLS 12% 2% 15% SUSPICIOUS mm 7% SELF-INRUITE DISTURBANCE 6% 19% PROPERTY 9000 15% DOMESTIC MISCELLANEOUS NON -CRIMINAL 3% 6% 15% moo 19" 1988 19m 1991 1992 1993 19 1995 1996 1997 1998 Traffic Services An often forgotten aspect of any community is safe roadways. The goal of the Traffic Services Detail is to promote safe streets by preventing traffic accidents. This is accomplished through a strategy of high visibility, violator enforcement, public safety education programs, and working with City engineers to provide roadway design input. With State Highways 118 and 23 traversing through the city, it is important to monitor commercial vehicle traffic. A team of specially trained deputies serve on an overtime basis to form the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Detail. The goal of this team of deputies is to ensure that commercial drivers obey traffic laws and are operating trucks that are mechani- cally safe as they travel through the city. These deputies can stop commercial vehicles for violations and conduct detailed safety inspections, ensuring the safest possible vehicles travel through the city of Moorpark. In 1998, the Traffic Detail spent approximately 185 hours on commercial vehicle enforcement. This includes moving violations and vehicle inspections. Ap- proximately 170 citations were issued to commercial trucks for moving and mechanical violations. Investigative Services Citations Moving 2513 Violations Mechanical 561 Violations ` Parking 897 Certainly, no police department could be effective without detectives who investigate unsolved crimes. In 1998, Moorpark Detectives had several notable cases. The year started off with a rash of residential daytime burglaries. Twenty such burglaries were committed in Moorpark between the months of February and July. Moorpark Detectives formed a task force with detectives from the Thousand Oaks Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriffs Department. On July 31, 1998, the task force arrested the man responsible for over 60 burglaries in the East -end of the County. Other notable cases include closing a bicycle theft ring, arresting several financial fraud criminals, and a "zero -tolerance" pursuit of gang members involved in graffiti and other gang related crimes. Moorpark Detectives aggressively pursued unsolved cases in 1998, executing approxi- mately 15% of the total number of search warrants in the county and closing more than half of all cases received. Of Investigations the 398 total cases that were closed, 274 of them were Follow -Ups 462 closed with an arrest of the criminals involved. As a two detective team, in 1998 the Moorpark Detective Unit aver- Pending 213 aged 38 cases investigated per month, with an average Total Cases 675 closure by arrest of 23 per month. In other words, for every ten cases the Moorpark Detective Unit investigated, Closures 398 six of those cases resulted in the criminal going to jail! nommw Note: number of cases may vary 2-3% 1998 Community Events January Moorpark Police Department releases its 1998 trading card series, each with a safety message on the back. Over 40,000 cards were donated by local businesses featuring over 20 officers or functions of the Department. February 5th Grade D.A.R.E. Culmination - Flory School (277 students) and Arroyo West School (240 students). March Five Moorpark Police Volunteers graduated from East Valley Citizen's Academy. April Moorpark Police Department participated in Moorpark High School Career Fair. May The new Moorpark D.A.R.E. Car is unveiled at a City Council meeting. Police Department participates in survey with the Healthy Start Program to see which businesses in town provide tobacco to minors. Each business in town received an information packet. June Moorpark Rotary sponsored the "Wheel -Safe Summer" safety program. The last two weeks of school, deputies stopped and rewarded kids with gift certificates donated by local businesses for exercising bike, roller -blade and in -line skating safety measures. Police Department participates in the "'Downtown Community Event" - a City promoted event to showcase public services offered to the Community. July D.A.R.E. participates in ""July 3'.d City Fireworks" at Arroyo Vista Park. Hundreds of kids enjoyed the D.A.R.E. car and games sponsored by the Police Department. August Moorpark Police Department moves to its new location in town, 26 Flory Avenue. National Night Out- The Police Department and the Sheriffs' Department show- cased the different specialized units to the community. Each specialized unit visited 10 block parties throughout town; each sponsored by their Neighborhood Watch Group. September Country Days - D.A.R.E. sponsors a float in the parade and invites kids from the program to participate in building and showcasing the float. October Moorpark Police Service Center Dedication and Open House. D.A.R.E. Red Ribbon Week, a drug awareness program including Drug -Free BMX stunt riders, speakers, and educational events at each of the 10 schools in the community. November Police Department joins a community -wide effort to collect food and supplies for victims of Hurricane Mitch. A total of 34,000 pounds of dried beans and rice, 4,000 pounds of canned and boxed food, and 4,000 pounds of clothing were donated to the people of Nicaragua and Honduras. December Moorpark Kiwanis sponsored "Safe and Courteous Driver Program" - a two week program in which deputies stop and reward drivers exercising safe and courteous driving habits. Community Policing Community Policing Coordinator The Moorpark Community Policing Coordinator is a senior deputy who promotes police -community partnerships with the intent of identifying and solving community problems in their early stages as a cost-effective approach to policing. When a problem is solved, deputies do not have to keep responding to it, allowing them to spend their time on other more proactive activities. The Community Policing Coordinator also conducts environmental design reviews of proposed developments in town. This allows the builder to construct developments with crime prevention measures such as cameras, locks, lighting and landscaping, built into them. This makes those developments less vulnerable to criminal activity and in the long term is a cost-effective measure. The Community Policing Coordinator is also involved in many proactive partnerships within the community such as Neighborhood Watch, Business Watch, working with the School District, service groups, the media, community groups and other governmental agencies to increase the quality of life in Moorpark and respond to issues of mutual concern. Sr. Dep. Kory Martinelli and Wheel -Safe Program participants ".As professionaCpeace officers, our power is derived from the community we serve. -We are abCe to enforce society's Caws only because they have given us their blessing to do so." - Sheriff Bob Brooks Community Policing (cont.) Drug Abuse Resistance Education The City of Moorpark has two DARE officers, each of which is possible due to a partnership between the City and Moorpark Unified School District. This program teaches our kids how to say no to drugs and violence and make good life decisions. One officer teaches at the fifth grade level and the other at the eighth grade level. Notable D.A.R.E. events in 1998 included, Stu- dent Culmination for Flory and Arroyo West Schools, The new D.A.R.E. car in May, Red Ribbon Week in October, and Toughest D.A.R.E. Student in December. it you want io oe sane, Don't mess with cocaine. If you want to smoke, Ra raarly to rrhnka An original DARE poem written by Deveen Hinijosa, a 5th grade student at Arroyo West School. DARE Officer Julie Smith heightens the awareness of Moorpark's youth Community Policing (cont.) Moorpark Volunteer Program The Moorpark Police Department is committed to the philosophy of Community Oriented Policing; a philosophy which realizes that an effective law enforcement agency is one that has an optimal partnership with the community it serves. Nowhere is the police -community partnership more evident than in the Moorpark Police Volunteers. The citizen volunteers donate their personal time to assist the police department in serving the City of Moorpark in the most cost-effective way possible. They do this by providing services such as report writing, fingerprinting, disaster assistance, referral services, office staffing, answering phones and many other duties which allow deputies to dedicate more time to frontline police services. Volunteers receive training and education that they can take back to their neighborhoods to help make them as safe as possible. In addition, by working in a partnership with the deputies, volunteers gain valuable insight into the duties of a deputy sheriff. 1998 Total Volunteer Hours: 3022 A0`TEAMW(DRK "Kid Print" Fingerprint Identification Program 1998 Rotary Club Officer of the Year QDeputy Ian Laughlin was (D�1 honored by the Moorpark Q D. Rotary Club as the 1998 Officer of the Year. Deputy Laughlin has been with the Sheriff's Department for ap- proximately four years and has served the City of Moorpark for almost two years. He was chosen by his fellow deputies and by his supervisors for his outstanding service to his community. This award has been sponsored by the Moorpark Rotary Club since 1987. at it's bestW Deputy Ian Laughlin 1998 Moorpark Crime Statistics Part I Crimes For the seventh straight year, Moorpark was the safest city in Ventura County. Moorpark saw an overall 17% drop in its crime rate in 1998, from 17.76 crimes per thousand in 1997 to 13.5 crimes per thousand in 1998. Crime statistics are based on a crime index of selected violent and property crimes reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program by over 16,000 law enforce- ment agencies, covering 95 percent of the nation. There are two types of reported crimes as maintained by the FBI Uniform Crime Report. Part I Crimes is the total number of selected violent and property crimes used for all law enforcement agencies as standard comparative measures. Part I Crimes are some of the more notable crimes such as homicide, rape, robbery, and burglary. Below is a comparison of 1997/98 Part I Crimes for the City of Moorpark: 1997 1998 Difference %Change 1997 1998 % Change Population 28650 29300 750 2.6% PART I CRIMES Reported Offenses Rate per 1,000 Homicide 0 0 0 NC 0.00 0.00 NC Rape 4 2 -2 -50% 0.14 0.07 -51 % Robbery 10 12 2 20% 0.35 0.41 17% Assault - Aggravated 30 30 0 0% 1.05 1.02 -3% TOTAL VIOLENT 44 44 0 0% 1.54 1.50 -3% Burglary - Residential 68 74 6 9% 2.38 2.53 6% Burglary - Commercial 51 42 -9 -18% 1.79 1.43 -20% Burglary - Vehicle 82 40 -42 -51 % 2.87 1.37 -52% Theft - Grand 40 49 9 23% 1.40 1.67 19% Theft - Petty 184 117 -67 -36% 6.44 3.99 -38% Theft - Auto 28 34 6 21 % 0.98 1.16 18% Arson 10 4 -6 -60% 0.35 0.14 -61 % TOTAL PROPERTY 463 360 -103 -22% 16.22 12.29 -24% TOTAL PART 1 CRIMES 507 404 -103 -20% 17.76 13.79 -22% Part I Crimes by Month 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 ]AN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV N26 --1997 31 39 44 28 52 42 62 48 35 61 32 f-1998 34 30 31 37 27 42 46 32 34 36 21 1998 Moorpark Crime Statistics (cont.) Part II Crimes Part II Crimes are just as important in indicating police department workloads and quality of life factors in a community. These types of offenses include narcotics and alcohol offenses, forgery, fraud, and vandalism, among others. Below is a comparison of 1997/98 Part II Crimes for the City of Moorpark: 1997 1998 Difference %Change 1997 1998 % Change Assault - Simple 96 89 -7 -7% 3.36 3.04 -10% Possession of Stolen Property 12 5 -7 -58% 0.42 0.17 -59% Alcohol - DUI 54 48 -6 -11% 1.89 1.64 -13% Alcohol - Misc. 26 38 12 46% 0.91 1.30 42% Narcotic 169 115 -54 -32% 5.92 3.92 -34% Sex - Felony 14 11 -3 -21 % 0.49 0.38 -23% Sex - Misdemeanor 7 8 1 14% 0.25 0.27 11 % Fraud 17 27 10 59% 0.60 0.92 55% Forgery 59 34 -25 -42% 2.07 1.16 -44% Vandalism - Misdemeanor 140 106 -34 -24% 4.90 3.62 -26% Vandalism - Felony 1 0 -1 -100% 0.04 0.00 -100% Weapon 19 26 7 37% 0.67 0.89 33% Bomb 1 0 -1 -100% 0.04 0.00 -100% Gambling 0 0 0 NC 0.00 0.00 NC Prostitution 0 0 0 NC 0.00 0.00 NC Miscellaneous - Felony 19 11 -8 -42% 0.67 0.38 -44% Misc. - Misdemeanor 179 119 -60 -34% 6.27 4.06 -35% Warrant Arrest 128 138 10 8% 4.48 4.71 5% Traffic Arrests 53 64 11 21 % 1.86 2.18 18% TOTAL PART II CRIMES 994 839 -155 -16% 34.82 28.63 -18% A New Image 1998 brought a change to the appearance of patrol units in Moorpark. The switch from the predomi- nately white cars to the more traditional black and white paint scheme was instituted to allow for eas- ier recognition and gave the patrol units assigned to the City a more stylized look. Most Commonly Asked Questions Are there gangs in Moorpark? The city of Moorpark currently has one criminal street gang. The gang calls themselves "Moorpark Locals" or "MPLS." The gang consists of approximately 50 actively docu- mented gang members. Most "MPLS" gang members are under the age of 21, however several members in their late 20's to early 30's continue to participate in gang activity. The most commonly committed crime by "MPLS" is graffiti vandalism. The gang mostly targets or "tags" the neighborhoods in which they reside or areas where they congregate such as schools and parking lots. The Special Enforcement Detail (S.E.D.) is a plainclothes unit that is comprised of two officers on a part-time basis. One of the detail's tasks is to implement strategies to combat the ongoing gang problems within the City of Moorpark. The key strategy S.E.D. implements is a ""Zero Tolerance" approach to illegal gang activity as directed by the City Council. In addition, Moorpark also has a Gang Unit which consists of four patrol deputies working as a collateral assignment. The Gang Unit's expertise has become an important part of gang -related crime investigations. Following a gang -related crime, S.E.D. routinely provides their expertise and additional investigative resources. The commitment of both Unit's resources has proven in the past to be essential in the investigation and apprehension of suspects and successful prosecution. Who answers my calls for service and sends the deputy to my house? All 9-1-1 calls in the City of Moorpark are routed to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Communication Center. A dispatcher answers the call and enters the information in the CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system and then another dispatcher actually dispatches the Moorpark officer to the location over the radio. The CAD system is the same system that front office personnel uses to enter calls to be dispatched. The front office staff typically does not send the officer to the call over the radio. Dispatchers observe the pending call on the Cad system and dispatch the Moorpark officers to the location indicated. Who are the Deputies who drive the all white unmarked cars that I see at special events or driving about town some nights? The Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) is a resource provided by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department. The purpose of this specialized unit is to supplement patrol and investiga- tive activities to law enforcement in the County of Ventura. In 1998, CSU provided 234 hours of extra patrol at no cost to the City of Moorpark. In addition to extra patrol, undercover surveillance and street level narcotics enforcement, CSU also served as support staff at City Events (such as Country Days, 3rd of July Celebration, etc.) and extra holiday enforcement. Closing Message The safety of our City is directly related to the efforts of the members of the Police Department's sworn and civilian staff and the volunteers who support us. Safest City status is also the result of the community's willingness to become involved and take ownership in their community's safety. The programs which we provide and the positive relationships we maintain are critical to the quality of life in the community and the continued success of Moorpark remaining the safest city in Ventura County. In 1999 we will continue to work diligently to keep the City safe and provide the high level of service that the citizens have come to expect. As Sheriff Brooks stated in his opening comments, our basic mission will remain the same, "...to safeguard lives and property ... and to respond to public concerns in a manner which promotes neighborhoods free from the fear of crime." n" La.)k5 Mike Lewis, Captain Moorpark Police Department Acknowledgments: The 1998 Annual Report was produced and edited by Administrative Assistant Donna Jones and Sr. Deputy Kory Martinelli