OAK PARK : Residents to Voice Concerns to Deputies

Faced with a spate of complaints from residents about traffic violations, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council has decided to offer its residents the chance to voice their concerns directly to the deputies policing the small, unincorporated area.

The public forum, tentatively set for January, will allow Oak Park residents--who say they rarely see their law enforcement officers--to discuss the problems face to face.

“We need to have community involvement to know where the trouble spots are so we can head them off,” Councilman Chuck Monico said. “It is hard for the sheriff’s commander to know what is going on.”

For months, a steady stream of residents has approached the council with complaints of people speeding on residential streets and cruising through stop signs. A man at Tuesday’s meeting told of seeing two accidents in one week in his neighborhood.

As a result, the council has been working to increase its police services.

The area has long been served by one patrol car, which split its time between Oak Park and the unincorporated areas of Bell Canyon and Lake Sherwood.

But three weeks ago, the sheriff added a second patrol car to cover the three areas. Oak Park now has a patrol car about 40% more of the time, said Doug Hewitson, a member of the advisory council.

Also, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department agreed to temporarily assign a third patrol car near schools--where residents complain teen-agers often ignore traffic rules.

Technically, traffic violations in the unincorporated area are the responsibility of the California Highway Patrol, but the state agency only has the resources to patrol the Ventura Freeway, Monico said.

At the forum, officials will discuss options such as creating community watch groups, establishing a permanent contract with the Sheriff’s Department for the community’s own patrol car, and opening a small office for deputies to use in Oak Park.