Ventura County, California Sheriff's Department

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Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Established	1873
Jurisdiction	County
Sworn	775
Non-sworn	500
Stations	4
Jails	2
Police boats	2
Helicopters	4
Sheriff	Bob Brooks

The Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, USA, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that Ventura County Sheriff's Department provides police services for are Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks.

The mission of the VCSD:

"We, the members of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, are committed to safeguard the lives and property of the residents of Ventura County and respond to public concerns in a manner which promotes neighborhoods free from the fear of crime."

1 History
2 Organization
- 2.1 Ranks
- 2.2 Notable Ventura County Sheriff's Deputies
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The Office of the Sheriff for Ventura County began in February, 1873, with the election of Sheriff Frank Peterson. What began as a duty to collect taxes and catch horse thieves has evolved significantly as the county has changed and grown. Seventeen other Sheriffs have held the Office of the Sheriff since 1873. The administration of justice (and more criminals going to trial rather than the dispensing of "frontier justice") became more sophisticated during the late 1800s. Sheriff E.G. McMartin, a popular and upright man who was elected Sheriff five times, was the first and only Sheriff killed in the line of duty while apprehending a murder suspect in 1921.

Public hangings and bootlegging arrests gave way to police practices and procedures commonly recognized today. The modern era of Ventura County law enforcement began in 1959 with Sheriff William Hill. The 1970s saw the genesis of community involvement programs like Community Orientated Policing and Problem Solving (C.O.P.P.S), DARE and Neighborhood Watch. Today, the cornerstone of county policing is the partnership between the Sheriff's Department and county residents.

[edit] Organization

The sheriff is elected in the county general elections, and he subsequently appoints his undersheriff^[1]. Four Chief Deputies report to the undersheriff, and each heads a specific "service," or division, within the department.

The Chief Deputy of Detention Services oversees the jails and courts within the county, and has three supervising commanders.
The Chief Deputy of Patrol Services is responsible for the patrol deputies, and has four commanders.
The Chief Deputy of Special Services heads a varied division that includes the Air Unit, Major Crimes, Narcotics, Intelligence, Bomb Unit, SWAT, Hostage Negotiations, Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Information Systems, and Evidence Unit. There are two commanders assigned to head these units.
The Chief Deputy of Support Services heads the records, human resources, internal affairs, and training academy units. There are two commanders subordinate to the Chief Deputy of Support Services.