THOUSAND OAKS : Citizen Involvement Urged in Crime Fight

Sheriff’s Department officials urged Thousand Oaks citizens Tuesday to get involved with Neighborhood Watch groups and alert police to suspicious activities to help in the battle against violent crime and gangs.

At a special City Council meeting to discuss crime, Cmdr. William A. Wade of the East Valley station said statistics indicate that crime overall has decreased in Thousand Oaks over the past 20 years, but violent crime is on the rise, he said.

“We live in a violent society and a lot of our violence is imported,” Wade said, adding that the Police Department “feeds” on information provided by citizen tipsters.

Councilman Alex Fiore said he asked for the special council meeting to air concerns raised by their constituents since a separate gang shooting and stabbing occurred in the city within the past month.

Residents have a chance to get involved in a continued crime discussion at a meeting of the city’s crime prevention task force at 7 tonight at the East Valley station, 2101 E. Olsen Road.

Mayor Judy Lazar said she’s been asked if gangs are on the increase in Thousand Oaks by parents who want to know what they can do about it.

Senior Deputy Randy Pentis, acknowledging that gangs are a growing problem in the Conejo Valley, urged parents to be aware of their children’s friends and confront any behavior or dress that could be gang-related. And, he said, don’t be afraid to call authorities.

Parent education is one of the gang unit’s top priorities, said Pentis, who runs the anti-gang unit in the East Valley’s station. Investigators meet one-on-one or in small groups with parents of suspected gang members to make sure they are aware of the problem and enlist their help in the fight against gangs, Pentis said.