Welcome to Farm Watch.

Our last E Chat newsletter was December 11th.
I know your watching the Rose Bowl as I type on this incredible Saturday afternoon, but after the game read this and take a peak at the attachments.
We are joined by 22 new members. Over 650 Ventura County farmers, ranchers, Oil, nurseries and packing supply house members.

What a way to start 2011.

New Years:
Speaking of 2011 and the New Year, many of us at the Ventura County Sheriff's Farm Watch attended the New Year's Eve celebration of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley.
The primary corporate sponsors were all well known Agricultural leaders.
We were amazed to see the faces of so many active rural families, community leaders, including farmers, cattle ranchers and oilmen all mingling the night away in a Calavo Street warehouse in Santa Paula. Their goal was simple, raise money to support the youth.

Hey Tim, what does Boys and Girls Clubs of Ventura County have to do with Farm Watch?
Heck, I'm a new Farm Watch member and thought this is all about rural crime?

Its simple, crime rates have dropped every year for the last four years. However, crime-fighting as we know it is about to change. Across the State, we are seeing a new era of policing fiscal cutbacks, prison crowding and the effects of recession. The impacts of those State Wide issues are changing our crime fighting models.

We are real good at catching crooks and putting them away in jail and prison. That keeps our communities safe.
What we are in need of is preventing the crimes in the first place.
Farm Watch is committed to fill that need and be the vanguard for the new direction of fighting crime.
How? a Tri Facto Partnership of our rural community.
It consist of three categories.
#1 The Sheriff's Department, Public Safety and allied agencies such as Behavioral Health.
#2 Youth Mentor programs such as Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Future Farmers, Young Riders, 4-H and Boys and Girl Scouts. There are so many others of course.
#3 Most important, and that is you! We need you to support youth programs and spread the word about Farm Watch. Forward this to your friends.

GANGS:
Support any of your favorite Ventura County youth mentor programs.
Our deputies do. It's funny but Cops like to keep a low social profile. In the sense, I don't know what it is, but I have seen this over and over during the last 25 years. As a whole cops just don't like to toot their horn. I have attached a PDF photo that I intercepted in a briefing room of our Sheriff Gang Officers painting over graffiti this week. They are so humble and may be mad that I attached it, but it is worth the thousand words I could describe how our Gang Officers Deputy Cesar Salas and Greg Cadman work behind the scenes 7 days a week preventing and suppressing gang crime.

These two are leaders in the three-way approach to stop gangs in their tracks. We are proud of these officers.

They understand that being a gang officer is best understood by looking at the eagle on the back of your dollar bill. Take a peak. Nothing has changed since our founding fathers. One side of the eagle has 13 arrows, for us as cops and gang officers.. That's 13 Sheriff's Gang and Special Enforcement Deputies, representing the zero tolerance of gang criminal activity. The other Eagle claw is holding the single olive branch. Solo, a simple branch, but yet as powerful as 13 arrows. It is a sign of peace, a humble and helping hand, out to teach, mentor and prevent youth from entering gangs.

Gang Deputies Greg and Cesar track, intervene and suppress well over 150 of the 3340 county wide gang members.

At Farm Watch we thank them. Drop them a E-Note if you have time.
Encourage them and the work they stand for.. greg.cadman@ventura.org cesar.salas@ventura.org

Fruit Fraud:
Two weeks ago on a nice weekend day, Oxnard Resident Vanessa Ruiz decided to enter one of our Farm Watch member's fruit and vegetable market. She had an accomplice. Together they forged Christmas gift certificates and started a shopping spree in the farmer's market. Unknown to them, our farmer at this market is an extremely active Farm Watch member. Wrong day for Vanessa, Score is: Farmer one, Crook zero...
The Farm Stand called the Sheriff's Department who had a plain clothes officer on scene in 2 minutes. The Deputy watched the two shop and at the end arrested them for 2 counts of burglary and 2 counts of forgery. Folks this is not someone who needs the help of food share. These crooks with rap sheets who were selling these fraudulent certificates, a criminal enterprise.
District Attorney Greg Totten felt the same as us and the farmer. Thus Vanessa Ruiz was held for trial in court for these felony counts. We appreciate the D.A Office and their commitment to us farmers and rural residents of Ventura County.

VLF:
Don't worry it's not another citrus predator. VLF stands for Vehicle License Fees. California Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro, D-Arcata, just introduced legislation this week for State Sheriff's and Chiefs that is vital to maintaining local levels of public safety. Under the current law, 0.15 percent of the vehicle licensing fee paid by California drivers is placed into the Local Safety and Protection Account, which is used to fund a variety of our Sheriff and Ventura County law enforcement programs. This is not a new tax or fee but has been a part of our car registration for years

It is set to sunset in June 2011, which leaves local Ventura County agencies looking at the prospect of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars for deputies and officers. Assemblyman Chesbro has stated that if the fee is removed it would ..."dramatically impact our ability to provide adequate services, especially in rural areas...” You can help by supporting the State Sheriff's and California Chiefs.

Wood Cutters:
Not exactly, but once again we have had more firewood thefts. This is exactly why we have Farm Watch. Farmer Dell getting his firewood stolen does not make the mainstream media. However, at $160 a cord, it does effect our ranchers who sell Avocado and Citrus wood to supplement their income. We received an email from a Santa Paula Farm Watch member. They informed us that their foreman caught 2 men in their orchard with a truck load of wood. They said they were friends of their neighbor and did not realize they were on wrong property. This was a ruse and the foreman knew better. Remember we just had this in the Grimes Canyon area. Keep an eye on the wood stockpiles. If they steal wood, trust us they will be back for equipment.

Lock Swap:
One of our Ojai Municipal Water companies is dealing with burglaries who think they are so smart. The suspects removed the locks from a front gate to a reservoir and replaced it with their own lock. They broke in and stole tools and 75 feet of copper wire. Remember we saw this last year when crooks were doing the same thing in the Sespe Oilfields. Our Ojai Detectives can use your help. If you have any tips, please email Captain Chris Dunn at chris.dunn@ventura.org

Koenigstein:
A suspect broke into a ranch at the 12,000 block of Koenigstein Road in Upper Ojai. They took small power tools. It appears they used force and kicked in the side door of a shed.

Hobson Burglar:
It's rare that we report crime up on the Rincon. Our rural neighbors up there are a tight knit community. A unknown suspect broke into a campground R.V in broad daylight and stole a purse with valuables. The purse was recovered in the bushes. We have to keep an eye on the transients who like the railroad track area. Always be careful to lock up and put away valuables.

My Last Will and Testament:
No, not mine......
However, I just had this last will and testament emailed directly to me. I thought I would share it.

Tim "I am Mrs Jennifer Woodward ,my spirit lead me to write you this email.I write you with heavy tears in my eyes and great sorrow in my heart because my Doctor informed me that I will die in 3 weeks time due to my complicated health issues (CANCER). Based on this, I want to will my money($10,000,125 USD) to a faithful person who would utilize it as I will instruct hence I contact you because, having grown up in the orphanage, I have no family to take care of it.The funds will be used to assist charity organizations, the orphanage homes and help the people involved in any form of natural disaster. I will wait to hear from you if you can handle this task with honesty. God bless you. Jennifer."

So of course Jennifer really wants me to send her my bank routing number and account number so she can deposit the funds. I have never met her. I imagine she lives abroad. Next she will want me to send her a money order or wire her money to cover the taxes. Folks, these scams are every day. Why? Because they work. These low life, bottom-feeding crooks prey on you and me and our sense of community, giving and helping one another. Help others by educating them and share these scams..

Wood Bandit:
No, not another wood-pile bandit. These crooks are still hitting farm workers cars on the Wood Road, Hueneme Road farm belt. They just broke into cars and stole items. They smash windows in broad daylight, preying on our hard working farm workers. Let's talk about that more next as our 2011 New Year Farm Watch Resolution.

2011 Farm Watch Resolution:
Farm Watch is all about community. It is a virtual neighborhood of shared Ventura County rural life. Preserving what we value.

Let's make our 2011 Farm Watch goal two fold:

First: Increase our rural quality of life and help prevent crime that effects our farm, Ag and ranch workers.
We can make a difference. Last year we set up some farm worker bi-lingual crime prevention education classes. Detective Taurino worked hard with the Farm Bureau and Ag Association. We received input and help from the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard. Drop us an email at Farm Watch. We want to send deputies out to meet and greet your foremen, ranch and farm workers and install a trust with them to use 911 to help that three way partnership. we solved many rural crimes this last year because they stepped up. We will need even more help from them in 2011.

Second: Gang prevention with our youth.
Fighting Rural graffiti is a start, It can be the cancer of rural life. Gangs are driven out of the Ventura County urban areas by increased suppression and gang injunctions. Where do they go? To our farm, ranch and oil lands. They spray up our pumps fences and sheds. Almost acting out, marking territory.

Folks, It's not "wall art," its a crime. Lets hit this quality of life issue with the arrows and olive branch approach. On your behalf, "Support and Report." Support our youth organizations, support your community, support stopping this cultural derailment and Report Graffiti, report suspicious cars in your fields and rural areas. Report Farm Watch to your friends and help us help one another.

Together we are stronger and more committed.

Calls For Service:
Don't forget you can go to our Sheriff Website at www.vcsd.org and check out calls as they happen. In addition, you can click on a county map of your neighborhood and check calls on, our near your street during the last week. These features are real cool.....

Be safe Farm Watch,

Your Friend

Tim

Tim Hagel
Captain
Patrol Services