The Records and Property Division is comprised of four separate units; Records, Word Processing, Property and Evidence, and Animal Licensing. The Records and Property Division is the public’s first point of contact for non-emergency services to the public, which includes answering the main non-emergency business lines and assisting the public with routine requests. The Word Processing Unit is an important component of Records whose main responsibility is to transcribe and process reports for court purposes. The information can then be disseminated and processed by Records personnel. The primary responsibility of the Property and Evidence Unit is to properly store and catalog all evidence and property submitted to maintain an accurate accounting of items. Animal Licensing promotes responsible pet ownership through the administration of licenses in Oxnard.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
The Records Unit serves as a repository for documents handled within the Department. This includes incident, crime and arrest reports, citations, traffic collision reports, arrest files, subpoenas and other related documentation. Records employees provide a variety of services to include: general records requests and inquiries at the public assistance counter, vehicle release information, clearance letters, registering criminal offenders to maintain compliance, and answering the Department’s non-emergency phone lines. Records Technicians process Livescan fingerprinting for all City of Oxnard employees as well as the public; teletype entries; subpoena control operations; and routinely performs audits for the Department of Justice. The Records Unit is responsible for all public requests available through the California Public Records Act. The Unit adheres to all applicable federal or state laws that prohibit or limit the release of information, while at the same time maintaining an individual’s right to privacy. Strict adherence to current laws and regulations affect the release of records and the Records Unit upholds the appropriate release of each document.
The primary function of the Word Processing Unit is to type all crime reports dictated by officers, making sure the report flows appropriately. All subjects named in the dictation are also entered by the Word Processor into the data entry portion of the report. Careful consideration of names, locations and proper language is used to complete the criminal reports in a timely manner. These reports are reviewed for accuracy and corrected in Word Processing prior to being released to the courts or the public when appropriate.
The primary function of the Property and Evidence Unit is the intake and appropriate storage of all evidence and property. Responsibilities also include the transmission of evidence to/from the Crime Lab and the lawful release or disposition of items in accordance with the law. Property and Evidence staff ensures an accurate chain of custody, which is essential in safeguarding the integrity of the evidence.
The primary function of the Animal Licensing Unit is to process, update and administer animal licenses for all domestic pets in Oxnard. In addition, the Animal Licensing Unit routinely canvasses neighborhoods to ensure animal licensing compliance, to cite pet owners who have not properly licensed their pets, and to educate the public on proper animal identification. Animal Licensing works closely with Animal Safety who enforce laws on animal care, community safety and responsible animal ownership. For more information please refer to the Animal License website: https://www.oxnard.org/city-department/animal-safety/animal-licensing/
Resources
The Division includes a manager who administers the overall operations and a supervisor who runs the day to day processes for each Unit. The Records Unit is currently comprised of one Records Supervisor, two Records Technician III positions and 13 Records Technician I/II positions. They work three shifts, 6 days per week. Animal Licensing is a part of the Records unit and is overseen by the Records Supervisor. The Word Processing Unit is currently comprised of one Records Word Processing Supervisor and 7 Word Processor positions who work two shifts 7 days per week. The Property Unit is currently comprised of one Property and Evidence Custodian and 4 Property and Evidence Technicians who work 5 days per week.
Relevant Statistics
The Records Unit is responsible for processing and disseminating paperwork. In 2021, Records staff compiled 2,060 court packets, processed 9,922 infraction citations and 3,236 arrest citations, of which 207 involved juveniles. The unit also processed 10,316 subpoenas, serving and updating department members of their requirement to appear in court.
Word Processing is responsible for transcribing and processing reports dictated by officers. In 2021, the Department took 14,328 reports. Word Processing staff typed and edited 11,312 of those reports. All transcribed reports are imported into our records management system for easy access. In addition, Word Processing staff edited and updated 3,263 citizen entered online reports and merged them into LERMS.
The Property and Evidence Unit processed 11,018 items in 2021. The unit continues to place a high priority on purging items that are no longer needed for evidentiary purposes or required to be held by legal statute. In 2021, 12,777 items were destroyed. Property staff was instrumental in assisting with the drug take back initiatives in 2021. Their assistance removed the threat of these dangerous drugs and paraphernalia from the streets of Oxnard and resulted in 494.8 pounds of narcotics and pharmaceuticals being destroyed.
The Animal Licensing Unit processed over 10,834 licenses in 2021. Approximately 2,239 of those animal licenses were for unaltered pets. The fee for an animal license significantly increases for unaltered pets to the sum of $105 dollars annually versus just $25 dollars for pets who have been spayed/neutered. Seniors who have spayed/neutered pets pay license fees of $15 annually. The City of Oxnard recognizes the importance of animal vaccinations for public safety, as well as spaying and neutering pets to reduce overpopulation in our shelters and streets.