Jeri Williams Chief of Police

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

OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

DETAILS: Neighborhood watch groups are an extension of neighborhood councils that bring neighborhoods and Oxnard Police together – working together – to address crime, public safety, and improve quality of life in neighborhoods throughout our community.

 
Starting Monday, October 5^th, the Oxnard Police Department will begin hosting a series of Neighborhood Watch information meetings for residents who want to start a neighborhood watch, or want to discuss strategies to improve neighborhood participation in addressing crime.
 
Meetings have been scheduled in each of the City’s four policing districts to allow residents to meet with Police Department representatives and teams who are assigned to work particular beats and serve specific neighborhoods throughout the City. 
 
Neighborhood watch is a voluntary, neighborhood-based organization that acts as a communication link between neighbors, neighborhoods and police, which provide a way for neighborhoods to work together toward common and evolving goals. 
 
Assistant Police Chief Jason Benites has been a proponent of neighborhoods organizing to help guide the police to problems.  “The concept of neighborhood watch has changed over the past years.  It should no longer be viewed solely as a small group of residents who spend their free time patrolling the blocks around their houses.  In no case do we advocate residents confronting suspicious activity.  In today’s version of neighborhood watch, neighborhood networks lessen the need for organized patrols, as just about anyone can participate from within their own home. With the great availability of mobile phones, as well as computers and free apps, neighborhood watches are built around communication networks, established and run by residents.  It starts with neighbors getting to know each other.  The next step involves developing communication networks, whether it is a simple phone list or participation in networks like Nextdoor.com.  Once these two first objectives are met, it becomes a matter of teaching residents to effectively report suspicious activity to the police, so we can handle it.  Simply put, these networks become eyes and ears for us, and this is a tremendous force multiplier for us, as information is the key.”
 
“In our continued effort to engage a growing group of community members as partners in public safety, we have arranged a series of public meetings this month for residents interested in volunteering and making a small commitment of their time to improve the overall quality of life for our families and neighborhoods,” said Oxnard Police Community Affairs Manager Miguel Lopez   
 
Neighborhood Watch groups provide a means for residents and neighbors to take a stand and make a commitment that you will look out for each other – and immediately report any suspicious activity to police and your neighborhood beat coordinator.  “Residents are encouraged to attend the district meeting that is closest to their neighborhood to meet the District Commander and Beat Coordinators,” Lopez added.
 
Oxnard residents are also encouraged to register for Nextdoor.com, whom Oxnard Police began a partnership with in 2013 to serve the residents of Oxnard.  Nextdoor has made it easier to communicate with one another amongst the City’s four dozen recognized neighborhoods.  Oxnard Police communicate directly with residents via Nextdoor to share crime and public safety information pertinent to a specific neighborhood – at the neighborhood level. 
 
Many view Nextdoor.com as the basis of today’s “virtual Neighborhood Watch.”  Residents may not even need to leave their home, and yet be an effective part of the watch team.  To date, over 5,000 Oxnard residents are communicating on Nextdoor.  Some of Oxnard’s neighborhoods boast several hundred members (for example, Oxnard Shores has nearly six hundred members, and West Village has over 400).      
 
Assistant Police Chief Benites added: “Social media platforms such as Nextdoor.com have been a big boost for neighborhoods in a number of ways.  Neighborhood groups are run entirely by neighbors and the Police Department sees only the replies to what we post on the neighborhood pages.  It’s free, available with mobile phone apps, and participants can choose what type of notifications / alerts they receive.”
 
Assistant Chief Benites: “We at the Oxnard Police Department believe that neighborhood whose residents know each other will tend to take care of each other.  When neighbors learn who lives on their block, they learn what is out of place, and are more likely to report suspicious activity to us.  Neighborhoods whose residents look out for each other and take care of each other are more likely to become safer areas with reduced levels of crime.”
 
Another focus point for the Neighborhood Watch informational meetings is to provide residents with the tools to identify things that are suspicious, and how to report them to the Police.  For example, the Police Department will provide residents with tips how to more effectively report to the authorities what they see.  This includes guidelines such as how to provide an effective description of suspicious persons and vehicles.  By reducing the amount of time that it takes to describe what they see, police resources can be more effectively dispatched, and are likely to have better information.
 
Assistant Chief Benites: “In order for us to reduce the City’s crime rate, the Oxnard Police Department needs the community’s assistance in partnering with us.  We need to have effective, vibrant partnerships with organized neighborhoods – we can’t do it alone.”
 
DATE / TIME PREPARED:  October 1, 2015 at 1400 hours