Extra Deputies to Beef Up Graduation Security : Thousand Oaks: The recent gang-related slaying prompts the addition of two officers.

Last weekend’s fatal gang-related shooting in Thousand Oaks has prompted the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to beef up patrols and security surrounding next week’s graduation ceremonies at Thousand Oaks High School, officials said Wednesday.

The slaying of 18-year-old Miguel Flores of Camarillo at a party early Sunday was enough to make the department add two deputies to the ones usually hired under contract to cover the ceremonies, and 12 more to watch for trouble at nightspots and post-graduation parties afterward, said Lt. Lary Reynolds.

Reynolds and school officials declined to say how many deputies usually cover graduation ceremonies at Thousand Oaks, Westlake and Newbury Park high schools, all scheduled to take place Wednesday afternoon.

“We’re not putting out massive amounts of people, but we’re paying close attention to certain areas and certain individuals,” Reynolds said. “Three graduations happening on the same night, coupled with the recent shooting, it’s cause for a little concern that the potential for a retaliatory strike is there, and we want to ward it off.”

Graduation is expected to be well-attended and the students well-behaved this year, as always, said Richard Simpson, assistant superintendent of the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

But he also said, “In general, I think we’d always be concerned that whenever there’s an activity like (Flores’ death) there’s a pay-back or that kind of behavior that goes along with it,” Simpson said.

“We have extra security that we hire for graduation every year, and the normal reason is the typical kinds of senior pranks and vandalism,” he added. “Knock on wood, we haven’t had any serious ones I can recall for the past five, six, seven years I’ve been on the job. About six years ago, somebody glued all the locks on the doors at Thousand Oaks High School during finals week.”

Other school districts are taking normal precautions to guard against pranks or gate-crashers, but none, including Camarillo High School, plans any extraordinary measures, officials said.

As usual, four security guards will cover graduation ceremonies Friday at each high school in the Oxnard Union High School District--Camarillo, Hueneme, Rio Mesa, Oxnard and Channel Islands, said Richard Canady, business manager for the district.

And sheriff’s officials in Camarillo are ready for trouble, but plan no extraordinary patrols, said sheriff’s Lt. Steve Giles.

Ventura police, however, said they plan to set up sobriety checkpoints to deter drunk grads from driving after commencement this afternoon at Buena High School and Ventura High School.

Ojai’s Nordhoff High School also will hire two sheriff’s deputies, as it has for the past 10 years, to ensure that no one crashes ceremonies there on Friday, said Andrew Smidt, superintendent of the Ojai Unified School District.

“That’s our basic approach for security, just to prevent any kind of situation that would be undesirable, like outsiders coming to campus and causing trouble,” Smidt said.

Simi Valley Police Sgt. John Wilcox said his department plans no extra patrols for graduation at Simi Valley High School and Royal High School. Nor do Santa Paula police, who will have four officers on duty at Santa Paula High School’s graduation tonight, said Lt. Mark Hanson.

“It’s not so much that we anticipate problems, like for instance at a football game where you might have rival gangs or knuckleheads who might want to get liquored up and cause problems,” Hanson said. “But we expect 3,000, and there might be quite a few vehicles. We’re just going to be there to get traffic out of there in an expeditious manner.”

The Santa Paula officers will be augmented by four private security officers the school usually hires to help keep eager relatives from crowding the rail and blocking everyone else’s view of the graduates, said Principal Robert Fisher.

“We don’t have special precautions other than our normal provisions for football games,” Fisher said. “Graduation has been very calm and positive since I’ve been here. It’s a real good, solid community.”

Oak Park High School plans to hire two security guards, said Marilyn Lippiatt, superintendent of the Oak Park Unified School District.

And at Moorpark High School, graduation is expected to go off tonight without a uniform in sight or a hitch, said Principal Cary Dritz.

“We just use staff for security,” he said. “We have not had any problems. It’s usually a very dignified affair.”