Police Chief Tim Hagel

Difficult economic times seem to bring out the best, and the worst, in people. News stories appear daily about the “random acts of kindness” people are moved to perform for others who are struggling. Some stand in line for hours at job fairs, willing to take any job so they can support their family. Others, however, decide that crime is the way to go. Regular reports appear in the newspaper about gang activity in Fillmore; rural areas have experienced their share of crime as well. Farmers have seen an increase in theft of equipment and fruit, as well as graffiti “tagging” and trash dumped on their properties. Packinghouses and oil companies out in the country have been hit too. To address these problems, Captain Tim Hagel, Fillmore’s police chief for the last fourteen months, has initiated a Farm Watch program.

Capt. Hagel, a member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for 22 years, understands very well the problems farmers face, as he farms with his brother 40 acres of avocados at the top of Grimes Canyon Road. Capt. Hagel oversees 27 officers who cover a territory of 455 square miles, including the farmlands from Wells Road to Magic Mountain, and from the summits of Balcom Canyon and Grimes Canyon Road to Gorman, including upper Ojai. He started Farm Watch when he arrived in Fillmore; he sees it as more than just a task force assigned to investigate rural crimes—“I was looking for the next level of connecting us,” he said. Recognizing that farmers are for the most part very private and independent sorts, but who readily help their neighbors in time of need, he decided the best way to connect rural folks was by an email newsletter and a telephone and email reporting system. The response to this program has been astonishing; he expected maybe twenty farms would participate. “I never thought that we would get up to 350” members to sign up, he said, adding that this list includes other law enforcement and county agencies and political representatives who are interested in what is happening out in the country. This program is unique, not just in Ventura County, but in the whole state.

And the program is working! Capt. Hagel gave an example of a farmer on Guiberson Road who was approached by a man in a white pickup, selling compressors at an unbelievably cheap price. Thinking they might be stolen, he called Capt. Hagel who broadcast the report to his deputies. Searching the roads in Bardsdale, they found the pickup on Pasadena Avenue and detained the driver, checking on the compressors which turned out to be legitimate (but of very poor quality). An hour later another farmer called Capt. Hagel to report the same man. This illustrates the effectiveness of the Farm Watch network; “people are paying attention; now out on the farms we have that connection,” he said.

Detective Ray Dominguez is a full-time ag detective, and he is supplemented by two other detectives who are general felony detectives at the station. They investigate equipment, produce, and metal thefts (the latter was more popular when recycling prices were higher), and tagging. “Tagging is our number one issue in the farming community,” according to Capt. Hagel. “As we step up gang and graffiti enforcement in the cities, it pushes the kids out into the rural areas.” There are two graffiti detectives at the station; they make many arrests every year, but offenders get off with only a slap on the wrist. Education in the schools under the “Adopt-A-Cop” program is hoped to be effective in reducing this activity; officers talk to fourth grade students who already have gang graffiti on their books and shoes. They hope to expand the program to third graders next year. Capt. Hagel’s strategy for tagging crimes is “Apprehension, Prevention, and Engineering,” meaning when construction is done on the farm, farmers should try to use materials that don’t attract taggers. Farmers themselves cover up about 95% of graffiti on their own farms, and they often don’t get credit for this.

So what should rural residents do when they spot something suspicious? For emergencies or dangerous situations, call 911. For “average stuff” like finding trash dumped, or someone camping out illegally, in your orchard, call the local station at 524-2233. For what Capt. Hagel calls “problem-solving” issues, call him directly on his cell phone at 947-8189 or email him at Tim.Hagel@ventura.org. Examples of this would be finding a car abandoned on your property, or you are boarding a horse at your property and the owner has disappeared. It may take 24 hours for him to respond; you can also text him, but be sure to put your name on the subject line. He checks his email several times a day, but voice mail only once a day, so email is the most effective way to reach him.
Subscription to the Farm Watch newsletter is free and is open to anyone who is interested. Just contact Capt. Hagel at the above email address and ask to add your name to the “Farm Watch” list. The newsletter comes out about every two weeks. Congratulations to Capt. Tim Hagel for initiating this program that fights rural crime and connects neighbor to neighbor in the farming community.