Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon, Fillmore’s New Chief of Police.

Sheriff Jim Fryhoff is pleased to announce the city of Fillmore has selected Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon as its next police chief. Malagon has been selected to replace outgoing chief, Captain Garo Kuredjian after the announcement of his upcoming promotion to commander.

"I had an instant connection with Lalo, his diverse background and ability to speak Spanish will be a great asset. I am looking forward to working closely with him,” said Fillmore City Manager David Rowlands. Malagon is a 23-year veteran of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and a lifelong Ventura County resident. Lalo started his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 2000, where he worked as a Cadet and Sheriff’s Service Technician. After graduating the academy in 2003, Lalo worked a variety of assignments including Detention Services, Patrol Services, Special Enforcement Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, and Special Crimes Unit/Intelligence. Lalo has served as a supervisor in Court Services, Narcotics Unit, Sheriff’s Gang Unit, and most recently as a Patrol Services Watch Commander. His collateral assignments have included the Tactical Response Team, SWAT Team operator, and SWAT Team supervisor. Lalo is happily married to his wife Carla of 20 years, and they are raising four children.

“I am excited for Captain Eduardo “Lalo” Malagon to continue the tradition of exemplary service to the city of Fillmore and the Santa Clara Valley,” said Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “Lalo comes to Fillmore with a strong and diverse background of assignments which will serve him and the community well.”

Malagon will begin as Fillmore police chief on January 22, 2023. In speaking about the move, Malagon said, “I am blessed to have the opportunity to connect with the residents of Fillmore and provide the highest level of service possible.”

Prepared by: Captain Cameron Henderson
Approved by: Sheriff Jim Fryhoff

The City of Fillmore has partnered with Patrick Ibarra from The Mejorando Group, one of the nation’s leading experts on government succession and workforce planning for local governments, to facilitate a goal setting session with elected officials in developing forward-looking results based strategic plans to achieve superior performance while meeting the needs and expectations of the community of Fillmore.

Building for the future with a thoughtful purpose and keeping our most vulnerable on our minds, with clear communication to the residents and businesses were a top priority.
Key Results Areas included: Fiscal Management, Public Safety, Economic Development and Innovation, Natural Resources, Arts and Culture, Smart Growth, Community Affordability, Community Engagement and Communication, Infrastructure and Organizational Excellence. City Council and staff will be focusing on these areas over the next several years. “It was great to listen to city council discuss the future of Fillmore keeping the small town feel we all love while still moving forward in our ever-changing world” said David Rowlands, City Manager.

City Manager, David Rowlands, presented to City Council a 2023 Workplan focused on citywide initiatives and projects. The Work Plan is not intended to be comprehensive of all work underway by the City. This workplan is a foundation to achieve necessary goals. City Council was supportive of the provided workplan. Capturing highly visible projects and initiatives is an effective way to focus City attention and resources on the right priorities.

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On Tuesday morning, January 17, 2023, three male suspects were arrested after stealing a catalytic converter, assaulting a victim, and evading arrest in a vehicle pursuit. All three suspect were booked into Ventura County Jail with bail set at $250,000 each.

Santa Paula Police dispatch received a 9-1-1 call at about 3:00 a.m. A witness near the 600 block of Venus St. reported suspects removing the catalytic converter of a vehicle in front of a residence. The victim, who was awakened by a surveillance camera alert, walked out to the front of the residence to check the area and the was encountered by one suspect while the other suspects removed the catalytic converter from the victim’s vehicle using a portable electric saw.

While removing the catalytic converter, one of the suspects used the blade of the saw in an attempt to stab the victim as the victim tried to intervene. The suspects loaded the catalytic converter into a truck and drove away. The witness quickly provided suspect and vehicle information to the dispatcher. A broadcast was immediately announced and a Santa Paula Police Officer located the vehicle as it was leaving the city, eastbound on Highway 126. The vehicle failed to yield for a traffic stop and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Fillmore Station patrol deputies assisted in pursuing the vehicle.

The vehicle continued eastbound into Los Angeles County on Highway 126 and California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers deployed a spike strip in an attempt to disable the vehicle. The vehicle became disabled southbound on Interstate 5 near Rye Canyon Rd. All three suspects were taken into custody and were transported to the Santa Paula Police Station.

The victim did not sustain any injuries during the catalytic converter theft. The suspects were arrested for a variety of charges including conspiracy, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, evading arrest, and grand theft. All three suspects were arraigned in Ventura County Superior Court on January 19th. The suspects were identified as Victor Trujillo, Billy Nava, and Marcelo Ramirez, all from Los Angeles.

Arrests were able to be made due to an alert resident reporting suspicious activity, the quick broadcast announced by the dispatcher, and the actions of Santa Paula police officers, Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies, and CHP officers. The victim’s catalytic converter, another catalytic converter, and tools of the crime were recovered as evidence. Anyone who believes their vehicle had a catalytic converter removed can report it the Santa Paula Police Department by calling (805) 525-4474.

The Santa Paula Police Department would like to remind citizens that, for safety reasons, do not attempt to intervene with suspects during the commission of crimes. Our community can help us best by observing and reporting crimes in progress. Residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity by dialing 9-1-1. In reference to catalytic converter thefts, suspicious activity such as the sound of electric saws operating in the early morning hours should be reported to police immediately. Residents can safeguard catalytic converters on their vehicles by etching/marking them with unique numbers. For more information, please view the following video link: https://tinyurl.com/zsb9zpx3

Agencies Responsible: Santa Paula Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, California, Highway Patrol
Press Release Prepared by: Don Aguilar, Interim Chief of Police

Written by Carina Monica Montoya

A very familiar face in Fillmore is Chief of Police of Fillmore’s finest for over three years, Captain Garo Kuredjian. He has been promoted to Commander and will be overseeing pre-trial detention in the City of Ventura later this month. Garo has attended many of Fillmore’s town events and celebrations, particularly local clubs and school events. He has been a hands-on police chief that got to know the community he served.

Born in Tripoli, Garo’s family emigrated from Lebanon to America when he was 5 years old. They first lived in Alpena, Michigan before relocating to Thousand Oaks in 1987. Garo graduated from Westlake High School and then on to UCLA, where he received his BA in economics. He is a loyal and avid UCLA college sports fan, and has been a season ticket holder for over the past two decades.

Garo has rose through the ranks in his profession because he loves what he does, much like athletes love their sport. From an early age, Garo knew that he wanted to become a police officer. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Jake, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy. It was a childhood dream for each of them to become police officers. Upon graduation from the Ventura County Sheriff’s academy in 1994, he was assigned to the Santa Paula jail where he worked from 1995-1998. From 1998 – 2002, he was assigned to field training in Thousand Oaks and Moorpark. When he was promoted to Senior Deputy Sheriff, he worked pre-trial in Ventura for awhile and then returned to patrol in Moorpark until his promotion to sergeant in 2006. In 2014, Garo was promoted to Captain where he became the assistant to the Sheriff and Undersheriff. He was the public information officer during the tragic Borderline Bar & Grill shooting in 2018. His reporting on the incident was broadcast around the country.

In 2019, Garo was assigned as Chief of Police of Fillmore. Under his leadership, the station serves approximately 450 square miles of unincorporated area in the Santa Clara River Valley, including the unincorporated communities of Bardsdale, Rancho Sespe, Santa Paula, and Upper Ojai.

Garo’s involvement in the community is focused on the youth in Fillmore. He is a board member of the Boys & Girls Club, an organization that concentrates on youth development in the areas of educational & career development, health & life skills, arts, sports, fitness, and recreation. Garo also helped bring back the Adopt-A-Cop program in Fillmore. The program encourages elementary school students to build positive relationships with police officers through interactive discussions and working with other students on teacher designed activities that help build character, and at the same time strengthening law enforcement’s relationship with the community. Garo believes that children are our future, and we need to invest in them because they are the leaders of tomorrow.

In addition to his extensive community involvement, including being a member of the Fillmore Rotary Club that strives to make positive changes in the community and around the world, Garo’s interests not only include his passion for community engagement and sports, but he is a devoted father and enjoys spending time with family and his dog, Oliver.