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Farm Watch
 By Anonymous — Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
March - April 2014 Edition
A message from Detective Ray Dominguez: In my experience, I have found that crooks will "scout" the area first and even enter your property illegally looking for potential blocks of trees that provide cover/concealment and easy access to your fruit. They will stash the picked fruit in piles at the base of the trees and conceal the pile under leaf litter, only to return later to collect their bounty. If you find this to be the case, please try not to disturb the scene and give the Sheriff's Office a call for follow-up. Another item of concern involves fuel thefts. Earlier this week, a theft of approximately 500 gallons of red dye diesel fuel was reported stolen from a property in Wheeler Canyon. With gas prices on the rise I anticipate this will continue to be a problem. If you have fueling stations or portable fueling equipment on trailers please pay particular attention to these sites as they are easy targets for thieves. Do what you can to fortify the site and "harden" the target by creating physical barriers with fencing, use of surveillance cameras, lighting, alarms, guard dogs, etc. Whenever possible, bring portable fueling stations into a secure area overnight or when not in use. If you have power to run pumps, cut the power to the facility when not in use, and limit access to the controls. Keep in mind that fuel thieves have also been known to bring their own portable pumps and equipment to aid in transferring fuel to portable tanks they secrete in the back of vans, SUV's, and trucks. Keep an eye out for suspicious subjects and vehicles in the area, and note suspect or vehicle descriptions including license plate numbers. Call the Sheriff's Office to report suspicious activity immediately and be prepared to provide information to the dispatcher. With summer approaching and folks planning their vacations, please consider formulating a plan to protect your property while you are away. Notify a trusted friend, family member, or neighbor of your travel plans, and provide them with an itinerary and contact numbers in case of an emergency. Do not advertise the fact that you are going on vacation, and avoid postings or reference of travel plans on social media sites, email, or phone voice messaging systems. Remember to secure your premises and employ security equipment and lighting to discourage would-be burglars. Put a hold on your mail and make sure the newspapers are collected so you don't have the tell-tale pile forming at the end of the driveway. Consider securing valuables such as jewelry, cash, firearms, etc. in a safety deposit box or other secure off-site location. Consider securing keys to vehicles and equipment off-site as well. In addition, visit your local Sheriff's Office sub-station and notify them of your travel plans and ask to be added to an "Extra Patrol" log so deputies can check on your property in your absence. It's free and worth the effort to give you a little piece of mind during your vacation. In closing, special thanks to Moorpark deputies for a job well done. They received a call for service this past weekend of a theft in progress. The reporting party provided information to a sheriff's dispatcher relating suspect and vehicle descriptions. The responding deputies located the vehicle and detained the suspects. The suspects were found in possession of stolen lemons. They were arrested and the fruit was recovered. The following advice is always wise if you suspect illegal activity on your property: If you are not sure of how to address the problem or would like additional crime prevention tips please contact your local Sheriff's Office substation or me directly at (805) 384-4726 or by email at ray.dominguez@ventura.org. Contacts: |
