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Officer Rangel's Blog

May 28, 2008 - 9:49pm — syindie


Welcome to Officer Alex Rangel's Blog. Officer Rangel is RiverPark's Beat Coordinator and has been a tremendous help in starting our great program. He is truly dedicated to his job and we appreciate his time and efforts. For these reasons and more, we are proud to announce that Officer Rangel received the 2007 Officer of the Year award this past April. CONGRATULATIONS ALEX!


June 18, 2008

RiverPark Residents,

As the summer nears history will repeat itself with daytime “crimes of opportunity”. Our youth will be on summer break from school and will find themselves with much time on their hands. Unfortunately, some of this energy will be channeled into negative activities, e.g., various types of crimes.

What is a Crime of Opportunity?

A crime consists of three elements: opportunity, desire, and ability. If any one of these elements is removed, we have a reduction in crime. Some crimes, those we call "crimes of opportunity," include auto thefts, thefts from vehicles, and burglaries (auto and residential) in which property is made easily available to the criminal. While you can't usually impact a criminal's desire or ability to commit a crime, you can often prevent an opportunity.

Crimes

In May ’08 there were no stolen vehicles, no auto burglaries, and no residential burglaries. However, there continues to be a problem with graffiti. Oxnard police department continues to address the graffiti problem by working with neighborhood watch, arresting, and identifying those responsible for the graffiti.

Method of Entry

Although, the RiverPark community has not been affected by residential and auto burglaries, as well as thefts from vehicles, it’s beneficial to keep the community informed about the common methods of entry. The most common methods of entry to residential burglaries and auto burglaries are by smashing a residential window or by smashing out a car door window. These window smashes can happen with little to no noise and will happen in seconds. All it takes is a criminal to look into a vehicle, realize risk is less than gain, smash out a window, reach into the vehicle, take the property, and flee the area.

Don't Allow Yourself to Become a Victim

Although the Oxnard police department patrols your neighborhood in an attempt to deter and apprehend these individuals, residents constitute the first line defense against these crimes of opportunity. A little crime prevention could go a long way. Don't make it easy for criminals to take advantage of you.

What You Can Do

The police department and RiverPark Neighborhood Watch believe that we can significantly reduce the chances of being victimized by implementing some of the following suggestions:

  1. Always close garage doors after use. Make sure the doors closes all the way. Do not walk away as the door is closing.
  2. Don't leave unattended property, such as bicycles, outside your residence
  3. Lock vehicles when not in use, even when parked in your driveway.
  4. Don't leave vehicles running unoccupied. This is a violation of a city ordinance.
  5. Don't leave property in plain sight inside your vehicle, no matter where it is parked. Most common mistake is victims are leaving electronics in plain sight, e.g., radar detectors, GPS devices, laptops, purses, gym bags, and IPODs.
  6. Install alarms and or "kill" devices in vehicles (kill switches shut off the engine)
  7. Know who belongs in your area and report suspicious persons to the Oxnard police department immediately.
  8. Keep your house well-lit at night to discourage would-be burglars. Timers for lights in different rooms, televisions, and stereos are deterrent tools. If you own a multiple level home be sure to off set timers to give the appearance somebody is home.
  9. Keep records of serial numbers, make, and model, for valuables such as stereos, other electronic equipment, bicycles, and sports equipment.
  10. Talk to your neighbors and look out for one another.
  11. Join the local neighborhood watch program and get involved in making your neighborhood safer.
  12. Join the neighborhood council and get involved with making your neighborhood a cleaner, safer, more attractive, and prosperous.

Education for RiverPark Neighborhood residents

The RiverPark Neighborhood Watch and the Oxnard police department care about your community. For more information go to www.riverparknw.com.

To report suspicious activities please call Oxnard police department at 805-385-7740 or if it’s a crime in progress or a life threatening situation please call 9-1-1. You can also contact Senior Officer Alex Rangel, Beat 12 Coordinator, at 805-385-8241 or e-mail at alexrangel@oxnardpd.org.

Together we can make a difference in reducing crimes of opportunity.