East County to Be Assigned Prosecutor

The district attorney’s office has been awarded a $200,000 federal grant to hire a prosecutor who will work primarily with residents and police agencies in eastern Ventura County.

Although Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks are routinely ranked among the safest cities in the nation, law enforcement and community leaders say the grant will improve public safety by making it easier for police to investigate crimes.

It also will allow residents to meet a prosecutor without driving 30 or 40 miles to the district attorney’s main office in Ventura.

“There is a need for more services in the east county,” said Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Greg Totten, who announced the award during a news conference Monday in Thousand Oaks.

Totten appeared for retiring Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury, who was unable to attend.

Totten and Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Bamieh are running for Bradbury’s seat. The idea of linking prosecutors with specific communities has been raised by Bamieh during the campaign.

Although 42% of residents live in the east county, all of the services offered by the district attorney are based in Ventura or Oxnard. Totten said the district attorney’s office hasn’t had the money to assign a prosecutor to the east county.

Totten said three previous funding requests to the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance were rejected. This year, the application was ranked highest out of 117 submissions, he said.

The east county project is an outgrowth of a community prosecutor program in Oxnard. From their experiences there, prosecutors recognized that residents want aggressive action not only on felony cases but also on more everyday complaints such as raucous parties and barking dogs.

As a result, the east county program also will focus on community outreach, according to the grant application.

The grant will pay the salary and benefits of a prosecutor to be stationed at the sheriff’s station in Thousand Oaks. It also will pay for staff support, new computers and transportation expenses for prosecutors in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard.

Funding for the position is not assured beyond 2002, Totten said, adding that the district attorney’s office will ask county supervisors for help if future grants are not forthcoming.