VENTURA : Police to Open Montalvo Substation

The Ventura Police Department will open its first community-based substation at the end of the month and staff it with two full-time officers, a department spokesman said.

The Montalvo Station will be set up in a storefront in the Bristol Center Shopping Plaza at 6368 Bristol Road. Owners of the shopping center donated the space rent-free to the department, Capt. Randy Adams said.

“This is something we’ve always wanted to do, but in the past it was cost-prohibitive,” Adams said. “Now we have the involvement of the local community, donating their time to help in the policing of their own community.”

Adams said the Montalvo area generates more calls for police service than any other area in the city of Ventura. He said similar community-based policing efforts in Oxnard have proven successful.

“There is a crime problem here,” said Karlene Porter, manager of a Laundromat and dry cleaners in the shopping center. “It’s good to know the police will be here and good to get the community involved with their area.”

The storefront will be open a few hours each day, Adams said. The officers will very likely use the storefront as a staging point for community patrols, Adams said, and other officers not assigned to the area will be encouraged to drop by.

Volunteers from the community are being encouraged to help out at the station. Also, Adams said a citizens patrol is being formed.

“This does two things: It gets the officers out in the community and by working with local volunteers it encourages people to become involved,” Adams said.