Donated security system to make Women’s Resource Center safer

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers PUBLIC SAFETY—From left to right, Senior Dep. Larry Logan, crime prevention officer for Thousand Oaks; Janis Moses, manager of the Conejo Valley Women’s Center; and Vince Nigro, past president of the Southern California Security Association (SCSA), discuss the installation of the new security system for the women’s center. At right, Chris Oxley, current SCSA president, checks for the best wiring location. The labor was donated by local contractors. While giving a tour of her suite of bungalow offices, Sally Rosiek ducked past workmen on ladders and gingerly stepped over strands of wire hanging from the ceiling.

And although the place looked like a construction site, Rosiek, executive director for the Conejo Valley Women’s Resource Center, was more than happy to accommodate the workmen.

The crew was installing a security system donated to the center by the Southern California Security Association (SCSA).

The free donation and installation of the security system was facilitated by Larry Logan, a senior deputy with Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

“The security system was on the center’s wish list,” Logan said. “They needed it, but couldn’t afford it. So I decided to give Vince (Nigro) a call. He was the guy who really helped make this all work.”

Nigro, past president of the SCSA, contacted Steve Marvin, the association’s current president, and the two worked together to acquire the equipment, design the system and organize the work crew needed for installation.

Both Nigro, owner of Vital Services in Moorpark, and Marvin, owner of Sterling Security Services in Los Angeles, are members of the SCSA, an association founded in 1982.

Marvin said the security system with alarm and motion sensor lighting costs about $2,000. The monthly monitoring and service fee will be paid for by the National Monitoring Center, according to Marvin.

Located in Thousand Oaks, the center is a nonprofit organization that assists women who have unplanned pregnancies and need help.

Through donations and volunteer work, the center offers professional counseling and provides free baby clothes and supplies to pregnant women.

The center’s services also include pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting and prenatal health classes, adoption support and referrals, HIV and STD testing, and referrals for housing and insurance needs.

Although the center offers post-abortion counseling, it doesn’t perform abortions or refer patients to clinics that do.

The center is also the site of Rose Buds, a thrift store located behind the center.

Many of the women who use the center want to remain anonymous, Rosiek said, and the new security system will help protect patient files.

“It’s really important to us to keep these files confidential,” Rosiek said. “The security system is just one more way we can ensure they stay private.”

Rosiek said two large Rubbermaid storage bins used to store Salvation Army donations were recently stolen from the back of the center. Although they were empty at the time, the bins themselves cost around $200 each, according to Rosiek.

Rosiek also said the center’s utility closet was continually being broken into by a homeless man who was sleeping in the closet at night. Rosiek said it was a problem because the man disconnected the phone line and other wiring in the center.

This year marks the center’s 20th anniversary. Rosiek said a gala dinner will be held in October at the Ronald Reagan Library.

“We’ll be the first organization to host a dinner at the Air Force One display,” Rosiek said.

For more information on the center, visit their website at www.womens-resource.com.