VENTURA POLICE DEPARTMENT

STRATEGIC PLANFISCAL YEARS 2015-2018

2

The Spirit of a Crime FighterIntegrity • Fairness

Courage • CompassionService before self

Desire to protect and serve our community

The Mission and Values of the Ventura Police Department are encompassed within the Crime Fighter Spirit that serves to guide us in providing the highest quality of service to our community.

3

A Message from the Chief

The best path to ensure future success is to prepare for it today. The Ventura Police Department 2015-2018 Strategic Plan will help us do just that. While the plan does not represent all we will do in our journey towards success, it does provide the framework that will guide us to meet the anticipated challenges of tomorrow.

While the fundamental goals of what we strive to accomplish remain constant; Crime Control, Team Development, Active Partnerships, Safe Neighborhoods, Efficiency and Accountability; our strategies and actions

evolve to meet the challenges of our dynamic and ever-changing environment. We also anticipate that changes in technologies and resources will accelerate our efforts.

We appreciate the input provided by nearly 200 community members who attended a series of community meetings in December, 2014. As part of this plan, we will expand upon these meetings throughout the next few years to make sure we are meeting our goals and community expectations. Ultimately, the real work of this plan will involve the dedicated efforts of the Ventura Police Crime Fighting Team composed of more than 200 sworn officers, professional staff and volunteers. I am exceptionally proud of the work they do each day and I believe the future holds great promise for the continued success of the community they bravely and selflessly serve.

Ken Corney, Police Chief

4

281

103143

1  

2  

3  

4  

Robbery = 103

Part 1 – Violent Crimes Jan-Dec 2014

Total Violent Crimes = 275

Homicide = 1

Aggravated(Felony) Assault = 144

Rape = 28

MEASURES• Arrive on scene to crimes in progress

and emergency calls in five minutes or less

• Achieve a crime clearance rate for Part I Crimes that is better than the national average

• Achieve a reduction in Ventura’s per capita crime rate for Part I Crimes compared to previous year

440102232994210

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

6  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

Burglary Non-residential = 223

Part 1 - Property Crimes Jan-Dec 2014

Total Property Crimes = 3,877Total Part 1 Crimes = 4,153

Larceny = 2,994(Theft, Fraud, Theft from Vehicles,

Shoplifts etc.)

Vehicle Theft = 210

Burglary Residential = 440 Arson = 10

6

CRIME CONTROL

5

STRATEGIES A focus on People, Places, and Things

• Focus on Serious Habitual Offenders

• Reevaluate beat boundaries and identify increasing service needs to improve calls for service response

• Focus area patrols based on real time crime trends

• Improve call received to call dispatch times

• Prioritization of report processing and case assignments

• Reevaluate detective deployment to respond to increasing case loads

• Implement measures to reduce and optimize our response to shoplifts

• Implement a professional staff Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) Team

• Develop a department-wide staffing plan to meet current and future needs

• Implement an electronic pawn-broker reporting system

• Develop an electronic stolen property database

By The Numbers

$$$$$

Reported $ Value of Property Stolen in 2014

Grand Total = $5,426,773

Motor Vehicle Theft $1,840,057

Robbery $39,245

Burglary $1,807,732

Larceny $1,739,739

“By The Numbers” data from 2014 unless otherwise stated.

The City of Ventura has 38.11 Part 1 Crimes per 1,000 residents. Ventura has the highest crime rate compared to other cities in Ventura County.

4,465 Traffic Citations.1,394 Administrative Citations.417 Criminal Citations.

1,523 Reports filed online.

5,240 arrests.

There are currently

92

Post Release Offenders, and

204 registered Sex Offenders

living in Ventura as of August 2015.

236 active

parolees

63.8% of time officers arrive on scene within 5 minutes or less to Priority One Calls.

6,276 Citations processed by the records unit.

Effective responses to crime in our community

6

MEASURES• Increase sworn officer applicants

by 10%

• Attain 100% compliance with Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) requirements

• Provide a minimum of 8 hours of training to professional staff during each fiscal year

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

7

Chief (1) Assistant Chiefs (2)

Professional Standards (3)

1 Commander1 Sergeant1 Corporal

Patrol Services (87)

3 Commanders 7 Sergeants 7 Corporals 64 Officers 1 Alcohol

Enforcement Program

3 SROS 2 VCMC

Patrol Task Force (5)1 Sergeant1 Corporal3 Officers

Dispatch (5)1 Sergeant4 Corporals

Investigative Services (20) 1 Commander 2 Sergeants 5 Corporals 12 Officers

Traffic (4) 1 Sergeant 1 Corporal 2 Officers

Sworn Personnel Assignments (127)

37 Volunteer Personnel77 Civilian Personnel

122 Sworn PersonnelTotal 242

1  

2  

3  

Volunteer Personnel = 55

VPD Crime Fighters

Authorized Sworn Personnel

= 127

Professional Staff = 88

Sworn Personnel Assignments

patrol svschiefprof stndrdspatrol svcsIStraffic853385214

chief  

prof  stndrds  

patrol  svcs  

IS  

traffic  

dispatch  

patrol  task  

STRATEGIES• Detectives attend patrol teams

briefings at least twice a month

• Update Training Need’s Assessment Plan to enhance employees’ professional skills

• Establish a cadet mentoring program

• Facilitate statewide POST approved training courses hosted at the VPD

• Develop and implement a recruitment plan to increase police officer candidates

• Introduce community speakers at training days to enhance Employee/ Community understanding and shared perspectives

• Modernize and enhance work environment including technology and equipment

• Maintain POST certified instructors in key training dimensions

• Expand the peer/trauma support team with regular meetings and training opportunities for officers

A focus on our most important resources

8

9

15,433 Hours contributed by all department

volunteers. These volunteer hours are equivalent to 7.5 full time employees.

10

MEASURES• Reduce gang related violent crime

compared to annual average from last 3 years

• Reduce fatal and injury traffic collisions compared to annual average from last 3 years

• Reduce identified property crimes that impact neighborhoods compared to annual average from last 3 years

Nextdoor.comVirtual neighborhood watch program Launched in 2012

10,275 total members

61 launched neighborhoods

MAINTAIN SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

11

STRATEGIES• Enhance the beat coordinator

program to respond to neighborhood crime problems

• Develop a plan to reinstitute gang prevention and intervention programs

• Utilize sworn personnel for gang resistance education in our middle schools

• Directed traffic enforcement in the intersections identified with the highest rate of collisions

• Work with Community Access Partners (CAPS) to promote crime prevention and education with visual media

• Increase neighborhood participation in Nextdoor.com and other neighborhood outreach efforts

• Hold quarterly meetings with Traffic Engineering & Traffic Unit to identify and improve traffic safety issues

233 = DUI Arrests

31 = DUI Collisions

41 = DUI Injuries

1 = DUI Death

Total Calls = 91,679 Beat 1 Beat 2 Beat 3 Beat 4 26,198 20,847 20,671 23,401

12,718 VPD Facebook “likes” (and counting) since the page’s launch in

September 2009. Facebook analytics tracks how many

people click on a post and the VPD page has had a

post reach of 75,881. Tips from FB posts have provided

useful information for the investigation of crimes.

MAINTAIN SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS Sustain the quality of life in neighborhoods

12

MEASURES• Reduce line of duty injuries of all

employees by 10% as compared to annual average from last 3 years

• Reduce Use of Force and community complaints as compared to annual average from last 3 years

• Attain a 100% “within department policy” for all Use of Force incidents

EFFICIENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

13

STRATEGIES• Implement department-wide use

of body worn cameras

• Work with Human Resources to develop a treatment plan for each injured employee

• Provide training for employees in workers compensation on how the process works

• Conduct reviews of critical department functions

• Provide Use of Force testing two times a year for sworn personnel

• Evaluate “in the line of duty” injuries and tailor wellness program towards reducing them

• Improve Use of Force and complaint tracking to comply with state law

Body Worn Cameras In 2014, the Ventura Police Department, in conjunction with the University of Cambridge (UK), began a randomized controlled trial involving the use of body worn video cameras by patrol officers. Part of this project sought to examine the outcomes of patrol officer use of body worn video. From June 1, 2014, to Jan. 1, 2015 the department had 35 Use of Force incidents, compared with 51 over the same period the previous year, a 31 percent drop. Use of Force can occur when a person resists arrests or flees a scene. In the same year-over-year comparison, the department also saw a 37 percent drop in citizen complaints, from 24 to 15. Results indicate a change in behavior of the individual being contacted by a Police Officer. Those who knew they were being recorded were more likely to cooperate. Officers can spend less time on defending any wrongful claims of impropriety and increase the accuracy of reports. With the evidence provided by the body-worn camera footage, it is difficult to refute the actions taken by officers and citizens. The overall results of the randomized controlled trial led the Ventura City Council to approve and fund the full deployment of body worn cameras in the summer of 2015.

Preliminary Experiment Results June 2014 - January 2015

Use of Force47% difference

25

20

15

10

5

0Controlled

23Experimental

12

Citizen Complaints33% difference

25

20

15

10

5

0Controlled

9Experimental

6

EFFICIENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY Dedication to continuous improvement

14

OUR CRIME FIGHTING TEAMSWORN PERSONNELMichael AcquarelliAric AlmaguerJuan AlvaradoMichael AnselmoSam ArroyoSteven ArroyoAnthony AvilaMatthew BaumannJim BeautrowTyler BevanKrystal BloomingdaleChristopher BridgesJames BrittleMichael BrownDarrick BrunkTyler BuckJoshua ButlerMatt CainEdward CalientoDean ColeBernadette CompeanBrandon CongerKen CorneyDavid CurtisAlina DavisTimothy DavisNicholas DavyTeya DeBlauwAdam DelgadoDavid DickeyJames DillardWilliam DolanDerek DonswykAaron DrakeNicholas EdwardsMiguel EspinozaTimothy FerrillGerald ForemanJon FournellJacob FowlerChad GarrettVon GilbertCameron GoettscheAlfonso GomezAntonio GomezArthur GonzalesBrian GregoryWilliam GriffinFabian GutierrezKyle HalversonAsa HagySamuel HarbertBrian HartsonSchuyler HeardMisti HendersonErik HenuberBrian Hewlett

Michael HibdonThomas HigginsAndrew HoskinsTodd HouriganTrevor HrynykEric JacksonEdward KasperCraig KellyMark KnackstedtGregory KnuppRebecca KofmanJason KohagenWilliam LajoieRobert LambornCarlton LancePatrick LindsayJustin LinvilleJamey MacLellanTrenner MarchettiMichael MariettaMiguel MartinezEdward McCainTerrence MedinaJoseph MetzAnthony MoralesJosef MungerRick Murray Jesus NunezRogelio NunezJack OrtegaFrank PadillaBryan PalmerRichard PayneSean PortilloGilbert PusenJesus QuezadaAlyse QuirozStephanie RalphsQuinn RedekerAnthony ReginatoKarl ReyesRyan ReynosaMorris RivardJorge RodriguezJuan RodriguezMichael RodriguezDavid RuggieroDarin SchindlerPatrick SearsJameson SpiesAnthony SnowSarah StarrCasey SutherlandKeith TherrienMatthew ThompsonBrent UnderwoodJaime UribeEric Vazquez

Kyle WatsonDavid WebsterRyan WeeksKenneth WelchKendra WilliamsChristopher WilsonDavid WilsonJeffry WojnarowskiJosh Young

PROFESSIONAL STAFFJason AbboudJennifer AdelmanMichael AlstotKimberly AllenMonica AnayaMercedes ArandaDouglas AuldridgeShadoe AustinMarianne BasteckiAshley BautistaBrandon BillingsErin BurdineLinda CarralejoMaria ClarkColby CochraneTracey CoertAnna CruzRobert DietzElizabeth DonaldsonJennette FennellMarilyn FinkPatrick FurlongMarquis GaribayJohn GarnerAshley GatesKayla GatesNicholas GendreauAaron GibsonRock GomezTyler HackworthJake HainGale HartmanJeanne HughesKaren Heath-KarayanCindi KnightPatricia LaubacherLynn LopezStephanie LopezAlison LuckingAna MatosianMelissa McDanielSara McDonaldMatthew McFaddenGeneva MendezMarcella MendozaEvan MichelYesenia Miranda

Matthew MooreMalea MungerJacob MurrayKim O’Donnell Francisco OrdazEnrique OrozcoErnie OrozcoZachary OrozcoDiana OtaniMarlen PadillaLaura PerryChristine PoeschlTom RandallJordan Reed

Laura Robinson Nicole RobinsonGabrielle Root Laurel SheltonLaura SinsunAmber SkallTeresa SohnCole SwaffarMelissa ThomasJerry ThurstonKagney TurvilleEric ValdiviaRay VanceLupe Villavicencio

15

Katherine VogelChristopher WaerRoger WangBobbie WilliamsAlexis WilsonPayton WilsonDaniel WolvertonJenna WolvertonThomas Young

VOLUNTEERSRich AllenRon Baker

JoAnn BowenNorm BoisvertBryan BrayD. Chris Bygum Jr. Dave CarlsonEdie CaffreyBev DavisJim DeckMarv DixonCheryl DonswykGinger EngeNatalie EricksonJeff ErskineLu Farmer

Judy FarrarDoug FentonJames FordConnie GallowayHeriberto GandaraErica Hernandez- GonzalezGrant GrizzleDaniel GutierrezRosa Lee GutierrezCarl HandyClaudia HandyRay HolzerRay Janik

Chuck KasperMabrie KiddJoanne KingJames KnappMelva LeiterPaul MagieRon MatthewsGerald MendelsohnLydia MerrillLinda MetsKaren MondragonMargie NiemeierGreg OsbornJoe Saenz Jr.

Jim Sheldon Linda SickelsLou SickelsMary SnyderThomas StarkRobert StevensDan StowellBrad TalbotWilliam TocciSharon TrollJohn WalkerHarold White

VENTURA POLICE DEPARTMENT1425 DOWELL DRIVEVENTURA, CA 93003805.339.4400www.VenturaPD.orgfacebook.com/venturapd

Ken Corney, Police Chief

www.cityofventura.net

Photos: Courtesy of Jeanne Hughes and Ashley Bautista

Graphic Design: Karen Moser and Fausset Printing

Printing: Fausset Printing