The South District Team serves the south Oxnard community and consists of the Beat 41 Coordinator, Beat 42 Coordinator, and the District Coordinator. The team is responsible for the monitoring of crime, quality of life issues, and the forming of community partnerships with residents, clergy, schools, neighborhood councils / watch groups, owners / managers of properties and businesses. This is one of four teams that make up the Neighborhood Policing Team (NPT).
Crime
The City experienced an overall decrease in crime by 7.6%; nearly 600 fewer Part I crimes in comparison to 2015. The South District realized an overall crime reduction of 2.5% for 2016. The most impressive reduction was seen in the amount of burglaries in the district. Using methods such as target hardening, directed enforcement and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), the South District team had 80 fewer burglaries in 2016 than 2015, a nearly 30% reduction.
The South District Team is responsible for the monitoring, identification, and problem solving efforts when it comes to crime patterns. The team is the proactive street unit that uses different tools in order to combat criminal activity such as property and violent crimes. The team also focuses on the reduction of gang and narcotic activity. The team frequently partners with other inside and outside law enforcement agencies such as Probation and Parole when conduction larger scale operations or sweeps.
Enforcement tactics include, saturations, sweeps, parole/probation sweeps, “hot spot” directed patrols, undercover operations, bike patrols, theft operations, alcohol and compliance operations. The following are examples of some of the operation conducted in the South District.
May 17, 2016- The NPT conducted a Serious Habitual Offender (SHO) operation in various locations in the South District. This operation led to three arrests and seven probation searches/warrant services.
May 27, 2016- The NPT was deployed to the area of Southwinds and Saviers Road due to an increase in property crimes in the area. The team made five arrests for various narcotics violations and warrants. Seven probation searches/warrant services were also conducted.
July 14, 2016- The NPT conducted a SHO Operation which included (2) two-man bike teams and (2) two-man patrol units in the areas of Southwinds, Saviers Road, and Terrace Avenue. Eight arrests and 11FI’s were the results of the South District SHO Operation.
August 10, 2016- The NPT conducted a SHO Operation which included (2) UC Vehicles and (4) two man patrol units. The operation took place in the areas of Southwinds, and Saviers Road. A total of 12 arrests were made during the SHO operation. One of the arrest highlights involved a Southside gang member in possession of a shotgun.
September 29, 2016- Continued communication with Auto Task Force Investigators regarding stolen vehicle activity. The team assisted with enforcing violations of the city ordinance for leaving vehicles unattended with the engine running. Several citations issued were issued.
October 13, 2016- A SHO operation along the Saviers corridor and Southwinds areas resulted in 16 arrests. This was done in response to an increase in property crimes.
December 8, 2016- Officers from the Neighborhood Policing Team and Patrol conducted uniformed gang enforcement in the South District. The operation yielded 13 arrests (four felonies, nine misdemeanors), one citation and 10 FI’s.
Quality of Life
The South District Team is also responsible in addressing the quality of life issues that arise in the several different neighborhoods and areas within the district. These areas include businesses or strip malls, apartment complexes, public or private facilities such as parks and parking or vacant lots. The district team utilizes different methods in identifying and solving issues that affect the quality of life of a particular location. The two main models are the CPTED and SARA modules.
The Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is used to identify potential issues that can improve the security and overall effect on crime in a particular location or area.
The SARA model stands for Scan, Analyze, Response, and Assess and is used once a particular problem is identified. The model then calls for the execution of a chosen solution. After the solution is implemented, the results are assessed to see if the desired results have been attained.
Community Partnerships & Involvement
The NPT’s South District Team has the responsibility of not only forming, but maintaining partnerships with different aspects of the community in south Oxnard. This includes outreach and partnerships with clergy, businesses, public entities, community councils, neighborhood watch groups, schools, property owners, and property managers. Below are several examples of how the South District Team connected with the community.
June 23, 2016 – Terrace Avenue Community Outreach
The South District Team conducted a community outreach in the 4700 block of Terrace Avenue. The team provided Crime Prevention information along with giveaways for children. Several residents also signed up for participation in the Nextdoor.com program. The Oxnard Police Department Mobile Command Post was deployed and approximately 60 residents from the neighborhood attended.
August 5, 2016 – Southwinds Neighborhood Outreach
The Southwinds Neighborhood Outreach Event was planned by the South District Team with the goal of reaching out to residents in order to introduce the new team and at the same time expose the newly formed Southwinds Neighborhood Council. Simultaneously the Police Activities League (PAL) conducted its movie night. The purpose of holding these two events on the same evening was to maximize efforts and reach as many people as possible. The team, with the assistance of the Police Explorers, set up a booth distributing crime prevention information. The Explorers also offered fingerprinting for kids.
The South District Team, along with community volunteers, cooked approximately 800 hotdogs and served approximately 500 people who were in attendance. The team solicited local businesses in the area for donations to make this event possible.
December 12, 2016 – Mary Star of the Sea Processions
The South District Team collaborated with Mary Star of the Sea for the Virgen de Guadalupe Procession. The procession was one day held in the afternoon. The procession included Danzantes Aztecas, prayers, and a couple of hundred members of the community. The police department provided traffic control for the procession as they traveled southbound Perkins Road through the Southwinds Neighborhood and back towards the church. Traffic flowed with minimal interruption; there were no collisions, and no other issues reported.
November 23, 2016 – Thanksgiving Dinner at Southwinds
The Thanksgiving dinner took place at the Haycox School cafeteria. Volunteers from PAL, the school and the district team assisted in serving food to members of the community who arrived. Approximately 200 people showed up for this event. Each person enjoyed a turkey meal, drink and dessert.
December 23, 2016 – Christmas Toy Giveaway
The South District Team participated in a toy giveaway which was conducted by several organizations such as “I’m a kid who can”, Xtreme Entertainment, 805 Exchange, and Toys for Tots. Our contact was Steve Cruz who led this effort. Many low income children registered for this event and the team distributed 20 vouchers to families in the Southwinds area. The event was held at the Eagles Lodge on Saviers Road. Along with gifts, families were provided with a Christmas meal which included turkey and pizza. There were approximately 200-300 people in attendance.
Southwinds Neighborhood Council Meetings
The Southwinds Council slowly began to form in late 2015 and by the start of 2016, the council was official and regular meetings were held. This council had been inactive for years, but with the help of community leaders and volunteers, the council was reassembled. Since the reformation of the neighborhood council, the South District team has attended and provided training at every meeting. The meetings were held at the Southwinds PAL Center; however they will now be held at the Haycox School cafeteria as it is safer and closer to residents who walk with their families to the meetings.
Goals for 2017
The South District Team has two direct goals. The first is the team commitment on continuing to be the proactive street team that will also focus on and improving community partnerships with all facets of the community. Community engagement is an important step in creating solid partnerships which lead to improved quality of life and crime reductions. Second, the team will continue using different tools and creativity to reduce criminal activity that is experienced throughout the district. The focus will be on the reduction of gang, narcotic, violent crime and property crimes activity throughout the district.