New Police Chief Takes Command in Oxnard : Law enforcement: Harold Hurtt says he plans no immediate major changes. He intends to learn about the city by going on patrol with beat officers.

For the first hours of his first day on the job, Oxnard Police Chief Harold Hurtt had little time to worry about the city’s soaring crime rate and impending budget cuts that could reduce police services.

The Phoenix transplant was still trying to get a California driver’s license and arrange a smog check for his car.

But Hurtt, the 24-year police veteran chosen last month to replace retired Chief Robert P. Owens, said it is only a matter of time before he figures out how to best battle crime and run the city’s 250-employee police force.

He said it won’t be long before he reviews the department’s policies on high-speed chases and the use of force. But he said he will get the bulk of his education by patrolling the streets with the beat officers who know them best.

“I really don’t intend to make any major changes at this time,” said Hurtt, who will be sworn in today at City Hall. “I’m just trying to get my feet on the ground. I want to learn all I can about Oxnard.”

Hurtt and his wife Carol arrived last week and have found a place to live near the beach.

He already has lined his second-story office with artwork and with wooden plaques chronicling past accomplishments. There is a painting and bronze statue of “buffalo soldiers,” members of all-black cavalry units that fought American Indians in the 19th Century.

“I think they are appropriate models of the role of the black man in the military,” said Hurtt, who is the city’s first black police chief. “In the same way, I think I’m an appropriate model of the role of the black man in police service today.”

Also on the wall are commendations for his 24 years of service with the Phoenix police force, where he climbed from the ranks to second in command of a department with 2,700 members and a $26-million budget. But he said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be top cop in a city such as Oxnard where he hopes his leadership will help reduce crime.

Hurtt showed up for work Monday about 6 a.m. to introduce himself to officers about to hit the street for the morning shift. He repeated the introduction to patrols throughout the day.

“I don’t intend to run the organization from the top down,” Hurtt told officers at a midmorning briefing. “If you’re unhappy with what’s going on internally, that will reflect in your work, and we want you to take care of our customers.”

Those customers are residents of the city with the largest population and highest crime rate in Ventura County. Robberies and assaults are up 94% in the past two years.

In some pockets of Oxnard overrun by gangs and drug dealers, Hurtt said, residents are afraid to leave their homes.

Hurtt said he plans to introduce community-based policing into problem areas. Permanent police storefronts and regular foot patrols could restore order to Oxnard’s toughest neighborhoods, he said.

But he warned that such a program could diminish police services in other areas of the city.

“It may be time for us to make a little sacrifice in some areas for the betterment of the total city,” Hurtt said. “We all have a lot at stake. If one of us is suffering, we are all suffering.”

Hurtt said the biggest obstacle he will face is a lack of money.

After Hurtt is sworn in today, the City Council will resume its attempt to make up a $5-million budget shortfall. The council will consider freezing three police officer positions and replacing two motorcycle positions with photo radar units.

“When people dial 911, they still want an officer to respond,” Hurtt said. “But it’s tough in these tight budget times to maintain a level of service that residents have grown used to. It used to be the Police Department could escape budget cuts, but not anymore.”