Insurance Company Donates Patrol Car

In a move to aid patrol efforts in Thousand Oaks, an insurance company has donated a patrol car to the volunteer members of a local policing program.

Officials from the corporate office of State Farm Insurance donated the 1995 Crown Victoria, estimated to be worth $11,000, to the city’s Volunteers in Policing Program.

The group’s members also raised $3,000 to have the car painted and outfitted with lights, a police radio and a cell phone.

In the two weeks since the car has been on the streets, it has increased the frequency of patrols, police said.

“Every time there’s a volunteer patrol working you [now] have two more sets of eyes out on the streets,” said Joel Hockman, volunteer coordinator for the Ventura County sheriff’s forces in Thousand Oaks, referring to the two volunteers that ride in each car.

Hockman said a couple of old patrol cars that the volunteers had been using needed to be replaced.

“It was perfect timing for us to get another vehicle,” Hockman said.

Volunteers have patrolled more than 25,000 miles this year. They aid local police by taking crime reports, directing traffic, performing vacation house checks, and providing other police services.

Since its inception in 1995, the team has grown to more than 60 members and has contributed an estimated 52,000 hours of service.