VENTURA : Chief Deputy for West County Named

Ventura County Sheriff Larry Carpenter has promoted a 21-year veteran of the department to head its West County police operations at the rank of chief deputy.

Carpenter appointed Cmdr. Kenneth Kipp, formerly chief of sheriff’s deputies for the city of Ojai, to be chief deputy in charge of all sheriff’s operations in the western half of Ventura County.

Kipp, who now runs the County Jail in Ventura, will oversee patrol, detectives, the crime lab, search-and-rescue unit and all other police operations west of the Conejo Grade, said Carpenter.

“I spent some time and careful consideration, and there was a number of qualified individuals at the command level,” who sought the chief deputy job, Carpenter said. “Kenny had prepared himself well. He’s well-educated, and he’s got a wealth of experience in the various areas of the department, and he’s a very proactive individual.”

Kipp, a third-generation Ventura County resident who lives in east Ventura with his wife and son, graduated from Cal State Fresno in 1973 with a bachelor of science degree in criminology and has earned master’s degrees in public administration and management.

He will fill the vacancy left by former Chief Deputy Oscar Fuller, who retired in March.