Sheriff Reports 22% Drop in Violent Crime : Law enforcement: First-half figures for 1995 show a decline that officials credit, in part, to more deputies on the streets.

Violent crimes in the Ventura County sheriff’s jurisdiction fell by nearly one-fourth in the first half of 1995, a decline that Sheriff Larry Carpenter chalked up to more volunteers, more watchful citizens and more deputies on the streets.

Yet while reports of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault dropped by a combined 22.6% in the first six months of 1995 contrasted with the same period last year, property crime reports were up 7%, according to statistics released Thursday.

That smaller jump in burglary and theft pushed the serious crime rate up by 3.1% across all of Ventura County served by the Sheriff’s Department. Those areas include the cities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Fillmore and Ojai.

“I don’t get real excited over quarter- or half-year stats,” Carpenter said Thursday. “I don’t even get real excited over one-year [statistics]. We like to watch trends.

“But we’re very pleased with the fact that violent crime’s down, and we’re pleased with the fact that, in general, assaults are down,” Carpenter said.

The proof, Carpenter said, is in the numbers:

Aggravated assault reports were cut from 341 in the first six months of 1994 to 279 in the first six months of 1995. Robbery reports dropped from 103 to 69 over the same period, and the number of reported rapes fell from 32 to 26.

Reports of domestic disputes jumped from 468 in the first half of 1994 to 709 in the first half of 1995, but sheriff’s officials attributed that climb to a new state law requiring police to record all domestic disturbances.

The number of reported domestic assaults decreased by 23%. Aggravated assault in domestic quarrels fell from 47 complaints in the first half of 1994 to 28 in the same period of 1995, while simple assault reports in that category dipped from 331 to 266.

Two people were slain in the sheriff’s jurisdiction between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year, contrasted with five killed during the same period in 1994.

“There’s been some very strong statements made about violent crime in the past year. The public’s demanding it be an extremely high priority, via Proposition 172,” Carpenter said.

Voter and county government support of Proposition 172 criminal-justice funding has helped the department put more than 50 additional deputies onto the streets, Carpenter said. Two deputies per car now patrol unincorporated areas, where cars containing only one officer once cruised, he said.

“That allows for more complete coverage,” said Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, who represents unincorporated areas such as El Rio and some of Oxnard’s beach neighborhoods. “There are more responses to calls, quicker responses.”

*

Crime statistics show that public safety funding is having an impact on violent crime, Flynn said. Supervisor Frank Schillo agreed.

“A lot of money went into public safety, including to the public defender, district attorney and corrections services,” Schillo said. “Trials are not being put off, and [criminals] are being punished for their crimes.”

Ventura County residents are also extending the department’s eyes and ears by volunteering for citizen patrols, Neighborhood Watches and desk posts in new storefront substations in cities such as Moorpark, Chief Deputy Kenneth Kipp said.

And mobile sheriff’s stations--motor homes that deputies set up as walk-in substations in far-flung areas--are extending the deputies’ reach, Kipp said.

“That’s paying off because it’s developing the partnership that’s so necessary to law enforcement,” said Kipp, who oversees west Ventura County patrols.

Volunteers also free deputies to answer more calls--such as complaints of prowlers--on busy nights, Carpenter said.

*

That means more thieves are being caught in the act, which accounts for a jump in property crime reports, he said.

“If your patrol forces are being aggressive on the streets, if they’re making stops as frequently and as aggressively as they can, they’re coming across stolen property more often,” he said.

Residential burglary reports fell considerably--from 508 break-ins in the first half of 1994 to 423 during the same six months of 1995. And arson reports dropped from 49 cases to 40 in the same corresponding periods.

But all other reported property crimes rose: Commercial burglaries crept up from 319 to 336, vehicle burglaries from 573 to 597.

And the biggest jumps--averaging more than 16%--came in the areas of theft: Grand theft reports rose from 456 to 538, petty theft increased from 974 to 1,148 and car theft from 303 to 355.

Car theft continues to nag, especially in the more affluent east county communities of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark, Kipp said.

He said Los Angeles County thieves stop in these cities because the motorists drive nicer cars, use fewer anti-theft devices and leave more expensive electronics in their cars than motorists in L.A. County, he said.

*

Sheriff’s Lt. Marty Rouse said police recently broke up a car-theft ring, which should help bring down the numbers of victimized Moorpark motorists.

Overall, Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason said Thursday’s crime report is good news.

“The major crimes are way down,” he said. “That’s the real important issue for me. Our council has always emphasized public safety and put our money where our mouth is.”

And Fillmore City Councilman Roger Campbell credited the opening of a police storefront in his city earlier this year with helping to cut violent crime.

Times staff writer Eric Wahlgren and correspondent Paul Elias contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Ventura County Crime

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has released statistics for the first six months of 1995 for cities and other areas that it patrols. Murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are violent crimes. Burglary, theft, auto theft and arson are property crimes. The figures reflect the percentage change in the number of crimes over the same period in 1994.

*--*

Violent crimes Property crimes Total serious crimes Thousand Oaks -27.4 -4.8 -2.8 Camarillo -9.1 39.4 11.2 Moorpark -7.6 30.5 9.8 Fillmore -20.6 -12.0 -13.6 Ojai -27.0 3.6 -2.0 Unincorporated -27.0 3.5 -3.7 Countywide -22.6 7.0 3.1

*--*

Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Department