Reported crimes-per-1,000 residents up, but fourth-quarter arrests stop trend
By Sondra Murphy
The city of Ojai is known to be one of the safest communities in the county and 2009 data supports that claim.
Ojai Police Capt. Chris Dunn presented the 2009 crime and arrest statistics to the Ojai City Council Tuesday. The information contained in the report was compiled from Ventura County Sheriff’s crime analysis records, Ojai Police Department records and the California Highway Patrol traffic reporting systems.
Broken down into Part I Crimes and Part II Crimes, Dunn showed that little has changed in the city since the last report. He recommended viewing the figures critically because the numbers are so low that minor fluctuations can cause the percentages to jump drastically.
Part I crimes fall into two categories: crimes against persons — homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault —- and crimes against property — burglary, grand and petty theft, auto theft and arson.
In 2009, violent crimes against persons increased by two cases. This overall 13-percent increase consisted of an increase in rapes, from one to three, compared to 2008. As a stand-alone statistic, this means rapes increased by 200 percent.
Dunn said the number of robberies and aggravated assaults remained the same in 2009 and 2008, with three reported robberies and 11 reported aggravated assaults.
Reported property crimes also showed an increase. Residential burglaries increased by five, or 36 percent, over the previous year and petty thefts increased by 20 reports, or 23 percent. The number of felony thefts from automobiles decreased 71 percent, going from seven reports in 2008 to two reports in 2009.
“Since the early ‘90s, we’ve been on a downward trend,” said Dunn about total reported crimes. “All year long, I’ve been telling you about vehicle thefts. It went up 189 percent.” This figure came from a total of 78 reported thefts from vehicle in 2009 compared to 27 in 2008. “It took us until the last quarter to get enough evidence to make arrests and, since then, our numbers have been virtually nothing. So we hit the right crew.”
Part II crimes are made up of all other classifications and showed a 17-percent decrease in 2009. “The most significant decrease was in the area of vandalism and we attribute that to our aggressive gang efforts,” Dunn said. “Our gang unit is hyper-sensitive to the gang problem.” He said that even though the gang-related murder of 16-year-old Seth Scarminach last April took place outside of city limits, the resulting increase in gang unit officers seems to have impacted overall gang activity.
Ojai Police Capt. Chris Dunn presented the 2009 crime and arrest statistics to the Ojai City Council Tuesday. The information contained in the report was compiled from Ventura County Sheriff’s crime analysis records, Ojai Police Department records and the California Highway Patrol traffic reporting systems.
Broken down into Part I Crimes and Part II Crimes, Dunn showed that little has changed in the city since the last report. He recommended viewing the figures critically because the numbers are so low that minor fluctuations can cause the percentages to jump drastically.
Part I crimes fall into two categories: crimes against persons — homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault —- and crimes against property — burglary, grand and petty theft, auto theft and arson.
In 2009, violent crimes against persons increased by two cases. This overall 13-percent increase consisted of an increase in rapes, from one to three, compared to 2008. As a stand-alone statistic, this means rapes increased by 200 percent.
Dunn said the number of robberies and aggravated assaults remained the same in 2009 and 2008, with three reported robberies and 11 reported aggravated assaults.
Reported property crimes also showed an increase. Residential burglaries increased by five, or 36 percent, over the previous year and petty thefts increased by 20 reports, or 23 percent. The number of felony thefts from automobiles decreased 71 percent, going from seven reports in 2008 to two reports in 2009.
“Since the early ‘90s, we’ve been on a downward trend,” said Dunn about total reported crimes. “All year long, I’ve been telling you about vehicle thefts. It went up 189 percent.” This figure came from a total of 78 reported thefts from vehicle in 2009 compared to 27 in 2008. “It took us until the last quarter to get enough evidence to make arrests and, since then, our numbers have been virtually nothing. So we hit the right crew.”
Part II crimes are made up of all other classifications and showed a 17-percent decrease in 2009. “The most significant decrease was in the area of vandalism and we attribute that to our aggressive gang efforts,” Dunn said. “Our gang unit is hyper-sensitive to the gang problem.” He said that even though the gang-related murder of 16-year-old Seth Scarminach last April took place outside of city limits, the resulting increase in gang unit officers seems to have impacted overall gang activity.
“Two of the biggest gangs, OSL here and OVG in Oak View, put their activities on hold,” Dunn said. “Some of them are in jail, something I attribute to our aggressive approach to probation and parole searches, mostly by the patrol deputies.” He said last year there were 435 such searches resulting in 92 arrests.
“Felony arrests are relatively the same.” Total arrests in the city decreased from 525 in 2008 to 441 in 2009. Arrests in the unincorporated areas of the valley were 899 and 704, respectively.
As far as 2010 was concerned, Dunn expressed concern over the strong possibility of losing the school resource officer at Nordhoff and Chaparral high schools due to lack of funding. Ojai Unified School District’s budget crisis nearly resulted in the loss of that position last spring, but Scarminach’s death served to revive funding efforts by both OUSD and the city. With both the School District and the city anticipating further losses in revenues, the SRO looks unlikely to continue.
“We had recent burglaries and vandalism at Nordhoff High School and we’ve since arrested all four suspects,” Dunn also reported, “one adult and three minors.”
Dunn’s report, complete with charts and spread sheets, may be viewed in its entirety by going to ojaivalleynews.com, clicking on “Council Agenda” on the left menu bar, then choosing “Item 4” on the list of agenda items.
I was talking to FWTW about ‘Ammo’and his comment about ” the good folks in Ojai are stocking up on ammo to fight or protect themselves against the meth users and illegals.” Then he asks ,”any good places to buy Ammo in Ojai?” Bill, I hope that answers your question because I don’t think I am going to revist this thread. The thread is dead.
local B,
Who are you talking about??
I’m sure that everybody here, including “day laborers,”
are legal and have a #TIN.
FWTW, my point is that “Ammo” isn’t from around here, he just likes coming here and making neg comments about Ojai in general. If he was from around here he WOULD know where to buy ammo in Ojai. He wouldn’t need to ask.
O-tay, White Tribe Activist, crazy-youtube-government coverup-guy who posts under many different alias’s and also multiple-names-hates-most-people-guy are all-peas-in-a-pod. They don’t represent Ojai.
stanford: I was there when Cathy Elliot Jones violently interrupted a peaceful public meeting – what a class act (NOT).
AMry: it’s advice not advise
Racists: how predictable that you would devolve this thread.
Ammo, unfortunately, doesn’t need to go to Fillmore since what he wants is readily available at Ojai TruValu and Ojai Surplus.
I dont know Ammo why don’t you just buy some in Fillmore because thats where you’re from anyway.
Your’e right Ammo. The US is a failed state.
Where’s the best place to buy home defense ammo in Ojai? Any good deals? Good folks are stocking up. The meth addicts and illegals are out of control.
Try telling the folks who were raped, stabbed, beaten and robbed, that the crime rate is low in ojai… it won’t make a difference to them, and their family members.
LOL@ANon.6
O-Tay,
You need to cut your innards out. For the sake of us all, put yourself out of misery.
Anon.6
I agree with local Bonnie. We need PEACE PEACE PEACE NO MORE HATE.
Listen,obviously you go ahead and live your life the way you see fit and you have your experiences, then again, mine is totally different. Maybe the laborors are different on Ojai Ave then where you see them at Lomita. I’m not going on the day laborer tour to experience what you are talking about. I don’t hate them, I dont hire them either. I don’t think reacting in a hateful way is going to solve your problem with them but whatever, I just know what works for me. I think if you are experiencing issues with other HUMAN beings as a collective then it is your own unique problem. Good luck to you with that!
Thanks for the good idea. I will be happy to go to Meiners Oaks in the evening this summer and probably will have a nice conversation with the people on the street. Oh yes, I speak Spanish so that helps.
Thank you Just Another Taxpayer,
I am sadden that in these years that I have been part of the Ojai valley as an invited guest, that I will have to return to my native land with a torn vision to show my countrymen of Ojai. I love Ojai terribly greatfulely, but the spirit of your people has disstressed me terribly. I tried to share with you my nations plight and for the good nature of the OVN they have allowed me to do so on one ocassion. I have been sooo honored to be a witness to so many of your childeren and to do my best to enlighten them beyond the Ojai valley and what is really happening in the world and accross it. Estonia is a small country and to many americans a nothing place…We sat and watched as many of our freinds, relitives and comarads were punished under the soviet system, but by our hearts of peace and reconsile we won.It sades me that you have such a great potential in this Ojai valley, yet you rather have a social political agenda and let it DIE.So.. All I can say in four weeks time I will say good bye to you and my Dear, Dear students, and hope they may one day carry the torche of hope for this beautifulf Ojai valley. For nearly a decade and a half I have called it home,but now all I can see is a growing cancer…I am not a citezen, but a guest,…and there is little that I can do.Other than to wish all of you that wish peace and prosperity upon your community and for it to flourish, this is the real hope…YTour Illegals are your Soviet rulers, and your Law alows them to be harboured. I will miss the warm summers and mild winters,… but I will be free from this ,…There is no word in English for this, but translated it comes to, A demon is eating the arm of my child, and the leg of my baby, and it is in my innards.If I take the chanch to remove it from my innards and fail I mat die, and sacrifice my childeren. If I succeed, then I may save my childeren.If I do nothing, then I will never know. What path should I take? The path that leads to their survival…So,… Is it a crime for me to take the chance to fight for my childeren? Or to leave it upon faith…In Estonia faith is the winter or hope, never to be trusted.Hope is a gesture of failure, and card playing, so I leave it up to God, and my endurance…
Goodness and for Goodness sake I will pray for you.
O-Tay, I too get the ‘spit hard on the ground’ as I walk by, and get the intended disrespect. The hard looks, the talking too loudly in Spanish so you know they are talking about you, or schoolgirls that walk by, it is all part of their ‘territory’.
Local Bonnie, if you want your eyes opened, walk through Meiners Oaks at Lomita and El Roblar this summer at 6pm. These day laborers are done for the day, performing for each other, and they will delight at making you uncomfortable. Smiling and talking will get you double their treatment. Let us know how it goes, Local Bonnie.
I never said I hired the day laborors, I just don’t hate them and they don’t hate me. THey don’t harass me they don’t talk to me or bother me. I know why they are here and my heart goes out to them. I still don’t hire them but I understand why they do what they do. I live in Ojai and have lived here for 30 years. I have never ever been too scared of a Mexican to go past one into a shop, ever. They don’t spit on the sidewalk anymore than a reg person. I have never seen a handicapped person forced to stand because they were sitting there. I walk or drive down Ojai Ave every single day. As far as your being treated poorly by them, I am sorry to hear that and i am sorry for you but I have to say I have also been treated poorly and rudely by non illegals, it happens you know there are rude people in all walks of life.
I love hearing how people defend day laborers,the illegal type.first of all no taxes are being paid, second they are not much cheaper than a legal handyman service, third if there is any damage, stolen property,or worse there is no recourse like you would have in a legal business,forth your cheap and don’t wish to support your community. Last of all something to consider is that illegal aliens in this country for breaking the law are treated more fairly than anywhere in the world. Nowe if we were to say all illegals, don’t just think of Mexicans be fair. Illegals from the British commonwealth accorperate abuot 22% of illegals in this country, so please don’t say I’m being a racist. However in Mexico the illegals from Central America that enter Mexico for work are Raped, robbed, beaten, and killed for doing so.Mostly from their law enforcement.Real fair wouldn’t you say???Yet they are seen as jepordizing the Mexican’s community.Where is their anger focused? Fair is fair, right is right,legal is legal… Please folks don’t mince words with feelings, see things as they are especially outside your scope of vision. It is a fact that people wish to have a better life, but don’t you have any respect or symphany for those people that wait for years that do love our country and wish to enter legally and are refused because of quotas?If you were desperate to emigrate with your famialy to another place and did it legally but were repeativly refused because of law breakers what would you think? Bottom line the word is “RESPECT”!!!I do my best to overlook anothers ignorance esspecially if they attempt to correct their own behaviors and perceptions, yet it is difficult to overlook people without empathy or respect on what I and others see as fair and equatible behavior for the betterment of a community.Buy a chair, milkcrate, or something and not take up space on a bus or trolley bench when you are not going to use the service yet you will make a senior stand that is waiting for the bas or trolley. That’s not respectful, and I have witnessed it hundereds of times over the year. I have always been taught to offer a seat to a dissabled or senior person.Why, why is this not addressed? Also they bother me, I don’r care for it when I walk by a group of them and have a barrage of spitting on the sidewalk as I walk by because I’m a “Wareta”. Is that tolerance? When a outsider shows me that courtesy in my community, yes I feel hurt and abused and with no voice in the matter.I doo my best to keep love and compassion in my heart towards their plight, but I am still being treated like scum by them…
Loves Ojai, I agree with you. Remember that little thing that happened last year when people from Fillmore and elsewhere converged into Ojai to complain about our day laborers and demand their deportation? I have a sneaking suspicion they still like to make an appearance here and there like as if they think they represent Ojai somehow (which they don’t). AII we will take care of ourselves thank you, we don’t need your help. By the way, I walk past those guys all the time, because guess what, I live here. I have never been harrassed never bothered by them. Your shop keeper interview sounds a bit skewed. Don’t you have a Sarah Palin book signing to stand in line for?
I see no problem with the day laborers. They don’t bother people and obviously people here need their help because they keep hiring them. Focus your anger on something that really jeopardizes our community
One of the biggest crimes I see in the Ojai valley is illegal immigrants lining main street!Just because these law breaking borderhopper’s make it five miles from the border should not mean they then become our problem. The jobs and tax dollars their women having babies STEAL from Citizens is a CRIME!I have protested against the Day Laborer’s and have heard from a shop keeper how her customer’s are frightened to enter her shop having to pass often drunk illegal day laborer’s. Advice to those picking up these stranger’s and law breaker’s and letting them into their homes, is next time try using LABOR READY!
Hey Dukester,
The Ventura County Shefiffs Department was put on
Amnesty Internationals watch list for what they
referred to incidents of Human Rights Violations
involving shooting unarmed people without just cause
amongst other violations. The US Justice Department
also sanctioned the Ventura County Sheriffs Department in the shootings, they were also found culpable in the improper use of restraint chairs which were banned from use because of causing death.
The devices were deemed to be ” torture devices ”
That is not conpiracy. That is history. Check it out.
See what your tax dollars are paying for.
Now is this survey based on Ojai’s city limits? That’s the real question…Not mybey I’m a generalist, but if I do business, attending activities,volenteer work in “ALL” of the “Ojai Vallely”, and have some form of crime inflicted on me say in Oak Veiw that doesn’t count? Now the article does start out saying the city of Ojai,and the Jewish flag incedent happend putside the city limits.The city is small compared to the valley,so if Oakveiw has 10 merders a week this doesn’t count? But the Police force of Ojai are county Sherrifs, something to consider on where is the actuall saftey zone.
Hey get real,
Actually that comment ‘beyond my comprehension’ was tongue-in-cheek, so on some points following I may tend to agree with you. Admittedly I’m not big on conspiracy theories absent some pretty hard evidence.
That having been said- refer to the first part of the comment which states statistics CAN BE MANIPULATED in order to further one’s own agenda.
Two different gangs, two different locations. One is from Ojai (white) attacked and desecrated private property (Villanova High School), the other gang (Latino) from Saticoy poured useless graffiti on an old
drainage pipe alongside the freeway in Ventura. Guess
who went to jail?
Hey Dukester,
It is escaping your comprehension because when it comes
to matters like hate crimes and related infractions
the Ventura County Sheriffs and the Ventura District
Attorney office have a long history and legacy of either
ignoring or violating The Constitution of the United
States…the prevailing law of the land when it suits
their purposes to do so. They often function under
the color of law as just another gang of armed thugs
without accountability.
Perhaps, some citizens can contact the new US District Attorney for the Central District of California through the US Justice Department a new
person without any preexisting relationship or bias
either way can determine if there needs to be greater
federal legal or judicial oversight over the Ventura
County Criminal Justice system or other entities in
the Ventura County government that could benefit
from independent oversight. As citizens and
taxpayers we deserve no less.
get real – I totally understand the getting older and without glasses thing…
Anonomous is also right on the money with the comments about the police blotter. Sooo true.
Ah ha, i suspect standford.edu is the illustrious formar editor of this very website you go Bratt! we miss your rants
I agree the crime decreasing is a load, the drug dealer on my street is busier than ever! And the dealers on So. Fulton in affordable housing are into money, no recession for them or a second mortgage.
I would accept the petty crap that’s being addressed by the police if they did what they should regarding the bigger criminals.
The police blotter is riddled with “suspected under the influence” but what about the people they’re getting it from?????
Go BIGGER Sherlock’s or go away.
Hey AMry,
You were quite effective in summarizing the theme of my post..
Sorry for typos,etc — but that comes from getting older
and composing and typing a post without benefit of my
glasses.
Just could not wait to rebut the usual propaganda pap,
especially after such a trying couple of years in the
Ojai Valley. Your retort hit the nail right on the
” watermelon head “. Thanks.
Has anyone seen Anon.5? Oh yeah, he’s dead.
I meant to say “Next time” not “Let’s time”. Perhaps I should take my own advise.
Apparently, grammar isn’t a requirement in Standford.edu-land. Too bad, because had this person slowed down and articulated better, I would have been interested in the rant. If I understood the comment as I think I did, it brought to the forefront that Ojai is not as squeaky clean as it tries to portray through all the melon-head-tree-hugging-granola-crystal-worshipping nonsense that hides it all. Let’s time, try to make more sense, please.
The crime rate in Ojai hasn gone down. Does that include the bogus mortgate origination, appraisal
and other related scams and flim – flams perpetrated
by the real esrate industry cartelnwho fed off
churning – repeatedly turning over properties while
steering applicants into loan instruments that a good bunco- professioan police fraud investigators
in real police departments would have busted the
:”perps’ for various whithe collar fraud related
offences. Not likely when the local chamber of
commerce and various public and community boards
contain a suzable number of induviduals who have
benifited from the schemes. Sure, it was Countrywide, Washington Mutual Indy Mac and other big nattional financial istitutions plus lack of federal oversite, but some Ojai banks jumped on the bannd wagon too steering people into bogus loans they knew would be quickly sold on the secondary
motgage baced security market that would dice and slice the loans into derivatives and sold to overseas soviern wealth funds. But… where was the fiduciary duty all the players in the local market…our small town community neighbors and friends — lenders- local loan fficers and community based banks play along with the real estate cartel, developers plus the loacl people
who worked for the “money people’ …where was there sense of fiduciary duty and responsibility
in blowing up the bubble… plenty of people fed off the bubble
both national, but als LOCALY who face no accountability-legally, finacialy in their role in
this….where were the small town Ojai values everybody touts then or now… not even a public rebuke for the local players….no they get to hide behind their faces of respectability while the chief
gloats at rousting some small town mostly teenage
and dispropotionately minorities for what were usually low level crimes. This is not to justify
gang acticity and steet crime , but as a wise man
once said– far more money is stolen at the point of a pen that at the point of a knife or gun.
The lack of a genuine community based policing model in Ojai even though the official occassionally
mouth the words but do not put it into practice. The
double standard that is often used when a kid from an ” Old Ojai Familily” is givenn a verbak reprimand
or a talk with the oarent…beit in the Arbolada or
a kid from the east end. While others are are held to a more strigent standard…which has a potentiaappearance of differential treatment based on class and ethnicity. Let,s get real…after Seth’s tragic death he an Anglo gang member by
a very troubled and disturbbed ethnic gang membe… there has been an apparent rise in ethnic hostility
with some, perhaps more than some using the pretext
of unleashing the local bramch of the Ojai Sheriffs’
Department onto something of a wink and nod
” spic removal ” plan.
What happened to the last police chief after the
Cath Elliot Jones incident at campain debate
night at Chaparral… with him dragging her out
of the auditorioum when the chamber of commerce
toadies determined a legitimate question in a public forum could not be tolerated and totalitarian
thug out of STalin or SAdamm.No charges were filed against
Cathy but even more importantly no criminal charges were filed against the cheif in exchange it seem for a $ 23,000.00 dolar settlement paid to Ms, Jones
on what would in civil legal parlance a ” tort againt a person bodily which would translate criminally into aggravate assault and battery reaching felony status because of the degree
of force and brutality…. if any of the kids the Ojai police did something half as violent they would be charged with a felony…they maybe even
would pile on like they usually do and call it attempted homicede or manslaughter.
The incident with Ms. Jones was on you tube for all to see but still got buried.
Justice Ventura County / Ojai style.
Hooray for the VCSD! But let’s keep something in mind here- statistics can be manipulated to support one’s own agenda.
How the good Chief can say the recent events at Nordhoff and the Jewish school did not amount to a “Hate Crime,” with resulting felonious statistical implications escapes my comprehension.
This then allows the perpetrator(s) to escape far more serious penalties.
Awesome. The poor criminal element is leaving! Bye!