Oak Park wary of crime





Oak Park had a recent rash of bicycle thefts, and while the crime binge appears to be over, Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank O’Hanlon said residents should remain on the lookout because burglars will continue to target vehicles and homes.

The Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council was told at its April 24 meeting that on the previous night, two men broke into four vehicles parked in the Oak Park High School parking lot and stole personal belongings.

The school has video footage showing the culprits entering the parking lot at 10:30 p.m. in a black Ford Expedition. The SUV had a missing hubcap and mismatched rims.

The thieves wore black jackets and white painters’ pants, and spent 15 minutes going from car to car checking for valuables. They smashed the windows of four cars and took an iPod, a purse, a wallet and some basketball shoes, all in plain sight, the Oak Park Unified School District said in an email to parents.

Authorities are asking for the public’s help to identify the thieves, who may have been involved in other recent car burglaries near schools and in church parking lots in Oak Park.

Other incidents that occurred in Oak Park this past quarter include domestic and financial crimes, and a home burglary on Pine Avenue involving a person who used a doggy door to get into a house while the residents were out of town.

The best way to prevent thefts is by hiding valuables, said O’Hanlon, who urges residents to call authorities if they see any suspicious activities.

Since people hesitate to call 911 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency, they should call the dispatch department at (805) 654- 9511 to make a report, O’Hanlon said.

At the MAC meeting, officials also considered budget allocations for Oak Park.

As of June, the Oak Park County Service Area 4 fund will have a $1.3-million balance. About half of the money is kept in reserves for emergencies.

Ventura County plans to spend $832,000 in the coming fiscal year for landscaping, street sweeping, utilities and other services and projects in the unincorporated community.

Previously the county had allocated $30,000 toward a local volunteer police program. That funding was eliminated because Oak Park doesn’t have a volunteer police force, but it could be reinstated, county representatives said.

Councilmember Derek Ross said residents should attend a 12-week Citizen Academy offered by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in Thousand Oaks to help protect local neighborhoods and perhaps launch a volunteer police program in the near future.

The academy educates residents about law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

“The programs and resources are out there. Even though they’re not in Oak Park, we should take advantage of them,” said Ross, whose grandfather is one of the original members of the Thousand Oaks Volunteers in Policing program.

Ross and his parents attended the Thousand Oaks Citizen Academy. Ross is a member of the Oak Park Community Emergency Response Team and the Thousand Oaks Disaster Assistance Response Team.

Participants in the Citizen Academy can learn about all the different divisions within the sheriff’s department, Ross said.

The 2012-13 budget for Oak Park includes a $75,000 allocation for school crossing guards and $ 2,500 for the council’s administrative costs.

Ross and Councilmember Mike Paule voted against the proposed budget due to some discrepancies.

“I wanted to see some adjustment. I feel the budget ought to be accurate,” said Paule, suggesting the allocation for crossing guards exceeds a $70,000 contract the school district has with a private company for crossing guard services.

In another matter, the council considered a Southern California Gas Co. project slated to take place on Kanan Road near Oak Park High.

The gas company has four high- pressure lines running underneath Kanan Road. The company wants to remove an aging limiting station, which prevents buildup of pressure on a pipeline. They want to replace the station which is on a sidewalk along Kanan Road next to the library, with one on nearby Rancho Simi park property.

The new station will be quieter and out of the way of pedestrians. It will also provide greater safety for gas company employees who maintain the facilities, a gas company representative said.

Construction is scheduled to start in mid-June. It should take about eight weeks.



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