OXNARD : Police Say Crime Is Down in La Colonia

A police substation in Oxnard’s La Colonia district has significantly reduced crime in one of the city’s toughest neighborhoods, police officials reported Wednesday.

Since the storefront station opened on Grant Avenue nearly three months ago, an 18-square-block area in La Colonia has had fewer robberies, assaults and drug deals, police said.

“We are very pleased with these results,” Oxnard Police Chief Harold Hurtt said in a statement. “It shows that a viable police presence, coupled with the support and cooperation of the people of La Colonia, can indeed have a great impact on crime in the area.”

Crime analyst David Keith compared the area--bounded by Oxnard Boulevard on the west, Colonia Road on the north, Juanita Avenue on the east and 1st Street on the south--in October and November of this year with the same two months in 1991. He found that robberies and assaults decreased 67%, from 15 in the two-month period in 1991 to five in the same period this year.

In addition, there has been a 45% decrease in serious crimes--auto theft, burglary, and drug and alcohol-related offenses--from 38 in 1991 to 21 this year.

There was one homicide in the two-month period last year and one homicide, a block from the substation, in the same period this year.

The storefront station, generally open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., is staffed seven days a week with as many as four officers. Keith said money shortages that have hit other areas of the Police Department are not likely to affect the storefront.

Hurtt established the substation to combat drug dealing and other crimes that plagued pockets of La Colonia. Fulgencio and Consuelo Camberos, owners of La Paloma Loncheria, donated rent-free space for the storefront station, even though arsonists torched the tiny cafe in an attempt to bully the couple out of being friendly with police.

Neighborhood Council President Carlos Aguilera warned that police shouldn’t be too quick to pat themselves on the back.

“While we appreciate these new efforts, it doesn’t make up for the years of neglect that created these conditions,” Aguilera said. “There is still a lot of work to do.”