Surf Is His Turf : There’s No Crime Wave on Oxnard Officer’s Serenity-Filled Beach Beat

He has chased crooks, investigated murders and worked undercover vice.

But Oxnard Police Officer Len Newcomb said his current duty patrolling the city’s beach area during the day is just about the best assignment he’s ever had.

“It’s great,” Newcomb said. “I’m at the beach.”

Newcomb patrols everything in Oxnard west of Ventura Road. But he said he most enjoys hurdling the street curb in his four-wheel-drive vehicle and cruising up and down the seven miles of sandy shores between Silver Strand Beach and McGrath State Park.

The 18-year police veteran, who has patrolled every section of the city, routinely rescues ailing sea gulls. He notifies animal-control officials when dead seals wash onto the beach, and he is on guard for people digging for undersized Pismo clams. State law says the clams must be larger than 4 1/2 inches in diameter before they can be harvested.

On a normal day, Newcomb might watch dolphins frolic in the ocean just 10 yards away or study a family of turkey vultures feasting in the Santa Clara River estuary.

The officer, who has investigated child molestations and seen a fellow officer shot in the line of duty, is part nature lecturer and part lifeguard.

Last year, Newcomb received a medal of merit from the Ventura County Peace Officers Assn. for rescuing a 17-year-old boy.

As he drove along the beach, Newcomb said, he was flagged down by a woman who reported that a boat had capsized. Newcomb said he gazed into the distance and saw a person bobbing about 100 yards offshore.

Then, the boy disappeared into the water, he said. Newcomb swam through 50-degree water and pulled the boy to the surface. By then, a Coast Guard cutter had arrived and the officer pulled the boy on board.

But rescues are rare for Newcomb. Off-road vehicles pose the biggest problem for him and another officer, who regularly patrols the beach at night.

Indeed, Oxnard officers started patrolling the beachfront after residents complained that off-road vehicles were making noise and interfering with sunbathers, surfers and fishermen, authorities said.

The beach has a lower crime rate than other areas of the city, but Newcomb’s presence has been good for for the Police Department’s public relations, Police Chief Robert Owens said.

“It’s a good . . . beat because there’s a little more time to make contacts,” Owens said.

During patrols, Newcomb collects sand dollars and hands them to children on the beach. He waves to people walking on the beach and to residents of oceanfront homes. He also points out good fishing spots.

And, on a recent day, he spread the news about wave conditions at different beaches to a group of men hoping to hit the surf.

“Silver Strand’s flat. Hollywood’s flat,” he said, describing the calm waters to the disappointed surfers.

Newcomb said many of the department’s officers would not want the beat because it does not offer enough action. But it was his first choice when he rotated back to patrol duty after several years investigating burglaries and working in Oxnard schools doing drug counseling.

“Patrolling and patrolling the beach are two different things,” Newcomb said. “If I was assigned a regular patrol, I’d probably go crazy.”