Sheriff’s captain warns of rising fees

In a presentation last week to area business owners, Capt. Tom Martin of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station warned of a possible rise in fees that the local contract cities pay for their law enforcement services.

He also praised the cooperation and communication that exists between his department and the Sheriff’s counterpart in Ventura County.

Martin told several dozen members at a meeting hosted by the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Chamber of Commerce that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is auditing the contracts it has with cities for Sheriff services to determine if fees are covering expenses. Martin, who commands the Malibu/Lost Hills station on Agoura Road, said if the supervisors raise the fees, the local cities that contract with the Sheriff, including Malibu, Hidden Hills, Agoura, Calabasas and parts of Westlake Village, might not be able to afford it.

The Sheriff’s department contracts with 40 other cities in the county and provides specialized services, such as SWAT, to cities with their own police force.

The board of supervisors audit is expected to be completed in the coming months.

In more encouraging news, Martin praised how his department and its counterpart to the west cooperate regularly and communicate with each other when crimes involve both counties.

“You can rest assured you have excellent Sheriff’s departments on both sides of the county line,” Martin told the Chamber members.

He also said violent crimes seldom happen in the area, the exception being two murders this year, one in Agoura Hills in January the other in Malibu a month ago.

They are usually crimes of opportunity, he said, where valuables are left in plain sight in vehicles or where customer information is stolen from a business’ computer hard drive.

The Chamber hosts a government relations meeting for its 1,600 members each month. The meetings, which usually include a guest speaker, keep members informed on local and legislative issues that could affect their businesses.

Jan Smith, the Chamber’s governmental and economic development manager, said the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Chamber has a staff member who monitors the legislature and legislative issues on a daily basis.

“Keeping our members updated is a top priority for this Chamber,” Smith said.