Thousand Oaks crime drops even more
By Sophia Fischer
sfischer@theacorn.com

In what may be his last official action as Thousand Oaks police chief, Keith Parks presented a police overview of last year to the city council last week.

After five years as the city’s police commander, Parks has been transferred to the sheriff’s Human Services Bureau at the Ventura County Government Center. Dennis Carpenter, a Ventura County sheriff’s commander, is the city’s new police chief.

Highlights of Parks’ report include a drop in the crime rate from 16.25 percent in 2003 to 15.96 percent in 2004. The city was named safest city in the United States in 2003 in an FBI ranking.

"This is a testament to the community, the efforts of the council, the city manager and the people who serve you," Parks said.

In 2004 there were no homicides; 65 violent crimes, including 16 rapes; 36 robberies; and 113 aggravated assaults. These numbers compared with one homicide, 12 rapes, 38 robberies and 150 aggravated assaults in 2003.

While crime has dropped, volunteers in policing have increased by 40 percent over the past five years, to a current total of 89, Parks added. Volunteers assist the police department in a number of ways that include conducting home security surveys to help residents protect their homes, staffing an informational kiosk in The Oaks mall and the resource centers on Thousand Oaks Boulevard and in Newbury Park, and fingerprinting local children. Last year 1,400 kids were fingerprinted.

"Our volunteers put in 37,000 hours of volunteer work, worth about $630,000," Parks said.

The bike team of police made 334 arrests last year; there were 1,617 automobile accidents, four of which were fatal; and there were 1,847 property crimes, including residential burglary, grand theft, automobile theft and arson.

"Any community adjacent to L.A. is subject to crime and it continues to be a problem," Parks said.

The Sheriff’s Teen Traffic Offenders Program, created by the county and established in the city by Parks, received 39 calls to its hotline. Police met with the parents of 26 teens to address problems. The DARE program is in 19 elementary schools.

Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña asked about drug-related statistics among the city’s teens.

"I hear because we are an affluent community that kids get bored and are getting into drugs," Bill-de la Pena said.

Parks recalled last summer’s tragic death of a Newbury Park teen who lost her life while walking on the 101 Freeway after drug use.

"These things are going to happen everywhere. We do our best to reach as many kids and parents as possible," Parks said. "Do we have kids abusing drugs? Yes. Do we have kids abusing alcohol? Yes. The message to parents is that you have to talk to your kids about the dangers."

Parks added that Thousand Oaks has an advantage in that parents are very involved in their children’s lives, including volunteering as athletic coaches in youth sports.

Other initiatives under Parks include the formation of a bank robbery task force, conversion of patrol shifts to 12 hours and modernization the department’s vehicles.

Council members thanked Parks for his service and wished him well in his new role.

"You’ve done a wonderful job," Councilmember Ed Masry said.