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 17, 2013, at approximately 0500 hours, Oxnard Police and SWAT arrived at residence in the 2500 block Timber Creek Trail, in the South Bank neighborhood in Oxnard, to serve a warrant for a suspect wanted for multiple felonies, including witness intimidation (PC136) and criminal threats (PC422). 

 
Oxnard SWAT was the first to respond to the scene for this operation, to secure the immediate area and establish a perimeter.  Oxnard Police had reason to believe that the subject was on the property at this residence. 
 
After property and immediate areas was secure by SWAT, investigators and detectives were able to enter and begin a thorough search of the residence.  Detectives began searching residence pursuant to search warrant and heard suspect inside of an exterior wall.  Oxnard Fire who was stationed remotely on standby was called to assist with structure and free suspect who was trapped between structural walls of the residence. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
 
Nearby school was not put on lockdown, and School Resource Officer (SRO) and Incident Commander were in direct communication with principal during this time. 
 
Contrary to comments we have seen on social media, there were no shots fired or exchanged during this operation.
 
The reported shots were a tool (not a firearm) law enforcement use, which were louder and appeared to travel because of the cold morning crisp air.
 
Upon his arrest, the suspect was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance, before being transported to Ventura County Jail where he was booked.
 
Oxnard Police and Investigators are encouraging anyone with information about this incident or any of our on-going investigations to contact Oxnard Police if you have any information that may help us solve and close these cases.  If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call the Violent Crimes Hotline at (805) 982-7070 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
 
You can also visit www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org  to submit a tip via text or email.
 
 
DATE / TIME PREPARED:  12/17/13, 1120 Hours

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

DETAILS: The sixth annual Santa to the Sea Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday morning, December 8^th.  The race starts at 8:00 A.M. in front of Santa on Ventura Boulevard and travels through the City of Oxnard where it ends at the Marine Emporium Landing located at 3600 South Harbor Boulevard.  Over 3,000 runners will be participating in this year’s race.       

 
Officers from the Oxnard Police Department will be handling the traffic control along the race course and motorists should expect significant delays at several intersections in the city.  These intersections include:
 
·         Rice Avenue at Sturgis Road,
·         Rose Avenue at Camino Del Sol,
·         Fifth Street at Hobson Way,
·         Ventura Road at Ninth Street,
·         Wooley Road at Patterson Road,
·         Victoria Avenue at Wooley Road,
·         and Harbor Boulevard at Wooley Road. 
 
Motorists wishing to travel northbound and southbound in the city are encouraged to use Oxnard Boulevard as it will not be affected by the race. 
 
Rice Ave and Rose Ave are expected to be re-opened by 9:30 A.M. and all other roadways are expected to be re-opened by 12:00 P.M.
 
For any questions related to the race or traffic flow during the race, please contact Senior Officer Jamie Brown at (805) 385-7749 or via e-mail at jamie.brown@oxnardpd.org.
 
  DATE / TIME PREPARED:  12/04/13, 1600 hours

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

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

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.

Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

DETAILS: On Monday 12/16/13, at 0847 hours, officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Robert Avenue regarding an unresponsive male. Officers arrived and found a deceased male subject on the side yard of the residence.

 
On 12/18/13, an autopsy was performed on David Salazar, a 59 year old Oxnard resident, and his death was ruled a homicide. At this time, investigators don’t know the motive and are attempting to establish what occurred. This is Oxnard’s thirteenth homicide of the year. If anyone has information about this incident, they are encouraged to call Detective Ken Tougas at (805) 200-5669.  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. The City of Oxnard offers a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspect(s) in homicide cases.
 
You can also visit this site http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/contactus.aspx to submit a tip via text or email. 
 
DATE / TIME PREPARED:  12/18/13 / 1630 hours