JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers Sgt. Mike De Los Santos During his 32-year career with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Mike De Los Santos has battled violent gang bangers, busted big-time drug dealers and lead SWAT team members into more than one life-threatening situation.

Now the veteran law enforcement officer and family man is taking on a new assignment-community policing. De Los Santos was selected last month to be the new sergeant in charge of the Thousand Oaks Police Department's (TOPD) Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving Unit (COPPS). He joins forces with Sgt. Scott Zaslove, the COPPS sergeant assigned to Newbury Park.

When asked about the transition from his past work with some of the area's worst criminals to his current job dealing with community concerns and quality of life issues, De Los Santos, who spent 12 years with TOPD's Special Enforcement Unit, just a matter of putting on a new hat.

"Sure, it's different, but it's all police work," said De Los Santos, a native of Ventura County who's worked out of the T.O. area for the past 17 years. "We're working for the community out there. If they have a problem, we deal with it."

De Los Santos works at the Police/ Community Resource Center, which is located in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. It's his job to find long-term solutions to recurring problems in the community that aren't considered criminal or that haven't been solved despite repeated efforts by peace officers. He could be trying to help two unhappy neighbors solve an ongoing dispute or providing tips to a local bar owner on how to reduce the amount of crime outside his establishment.

Zaslove explained that the COPPS unit steps in when regular police work just isn't doing the trick.

"When we get involved, it's time to start looking at the root cause of the problem. It's going beyond what is called 'the Band-Aid approach,' which is simply hauling someone off to jail again and again," Zaslove said.

Two of the biggest advantages COPPS sergeants have over deputies on the beat are expertise and time, Zaslove said.

"We have the time to do a really in-depth analysis of what's going on," Zaslove said. "Plus, we have a great deal of expertise that goes beyond that of a regular patrol deputy. There is over 50 years of law enforcement experience between Mike and me."

De Los Santos reiterated that point, saying he hopes to adopt the policies of the department's best crime fighters over the year.

"The real successful cops back in the '50s, '60s and '70s were the ones that would take the time to try and resolve things," the 53year-old said. "They would say, 'This is my area and I'm going to take care of it.' Well, Thousand Oaks is my area."

Just a month into his new assignment, De Los Santos is finding out how busy the life of a community policing sergeant can be.

"We've got 130,000 people in this city and everybody's got a little problem," De Los Santos said. "But if they're willing to take the time to call us and explain the problem, then we're going to take the time to deal with it."

Though his new assignment- unlike some of his former ones- might not make for a riveting Hollywood plot, De Los Santos, a father of two, said it's a good fit for this time in his life.

"It's my first 8-to-5 job in 30 years," said De Los Santos, who's still acting supervisor of the sheriff's department SWAT team. "It's a new experience-and I think my wife likes it better."

To contact the COPPS unit with a problem, call (805) 4492760 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.