Ventura County Grand Jury
• 2006-2007
Public Safety: Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Ranger Program
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 17 findings
F01
District Ordinance No. 2 [Ref-01] is an ordinance passed by the District Board of Directors. It establishes rules and conditions governing the use of District parks and facilities and participation in District programs.
No recommendations for this finding
F02
Enforcement of Ordinance No. 2 is the responsibility of the Ranger Program.
No recommendations for this finding
F03
The District Ranger Program currently has three full-time, five part-time, and three special-event rangers to patrol the properties within the District.
No recommendations for this finding
F04
Rangers are on patrol seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to midnight.
No recommendations for this finding
F05
The Ranger Program compiles monthly statistics of their calls for service and ranger-initiated activities and incidents.
No recommendations for this finding
F06
The Ranger Program does not provide periodic safety reports of any kind to the District Board of Directors.
No recommendations for this finding
F07
The District and the Ranger Program do not provide information regarding District safety statistics to the public.
No recommendations for this finding
F08
The District Board of Directors does not require that an annual report from the Ranger Program be compiled, presented and made available to the general public.
No recommendations for this finding
F09
The current Web site of the District has limited information about the Ranger Program.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
Loitering by homeless persons and gang activity on District property is increasing and frequently requires assistance from either SVPD or VCSD.
Related Recommendations (1)
R01
The District should consider providing 24-hour, seven-day-a-week patrol coverage of its properties and facilities so that it can better address security needs. This could be accomplished by increasing the number of rangers or contracting with the SVPD and VCSD to provide additional patrol of District properties. (C-03)
F11
The SVPD is the primary law enforcement agency providing police services to District properties within city boundaries. (See Attachment 1.)
No recommendations for this finding
F12
The VCSD is the primary law enforcement agency providing police services to District properties within unincorporated areas of the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
No formalized agreements exist requiring the SVPD or VCSD to provide additional patrol and enforcement on properties owned by the District.
Related Recommendations (1)
R02
The District should execute formal Memoranda of Understanding/Agreement with SVPD and VCSD defining the operational and jurisdictional interface between the Ranger Program and the two agencies. (C-04)
F14
No formalized agreements exist with the SVPD or VCSD setting forth operational procedures and liability issues within the Ranger Program.
Related Recommendations (1)
R02
The District should execute formal Memoranda of Understanding/Agreement with SVPD and VCSD defining the operational and jurisdictional interface between the Ranger Program and the two agencies. (C-04)
F15
The District has no formalized tracking system for noting responses by the SVPD or VCSD to incidents occurring on District property.
Related Recommendations (1)
R03
The District should establish a mechanism by which SVPD and VCSD report to the Ranger Program all crimes and incidents occurring on District property. (C-05)
F16
The District has had difficulty convincing the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office (VCDA) to prosecute citations written by the Rangers.
Related Recommendations (1)
R06
The District should meet regularly with the VCDA to exchange information and better educate VCDA personnel about activities of the Ranger Program. (C-02) Responses Responses Required From: Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District Board of Directors (R-01 through R-05) Simi Valley City Council (R-02, R-03) Ventura County Board of Supervisors (R-02, R-03) Ventura County Sheriff (R-02, R-03) Ventura County District Attorney (R-02, R-03, R-06) Responses Requested From: Simi Valley Police Department (R-02, R-03) Attachments 1. Simi Valley Police Department, General Order 0831 (Park District Rangers) References Ref-01. Rules and Regulations Governing Use of District Facilities (on the Web at ) (This page intentionally blank)
F17
The District has plans in place to expand its property holdings and facilities. Conclusions C-01. The District does not adequately inform the general public of the mission, duties, and responsibilities of the Ranger Program. (F-06 through F-09) C-02. A lack of awareness of the mission, duties, enforcement authority, and responsibilities of the Ranger Program has resulted in the District having difficulty obtaining criminal prosecution through the VCDA. (F-02, F-16) C-03. The District Ranger Program is not staffed to carry out patrol duties on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis, thus leaving the property and facilities vulnerable to criminal acts during the ten hours a day that rangers are not on patrol. Since the District has plans for expansion, additional Ranger staff may be required. (F-01 through F0-04, F-13, F-17) C-04. Without formalized agreements with city and county law enforcement, there is a likelihood that confusion and misunderstandings could result regarding jurisdictional responsibilities and expectations in the event of a significant incident occurring on District property. (F-02, F-11 through
No recommendations for this finding
Additional Recommendations 1
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R1Simi Valley Police Department, General Order 0831 (Park District Rangers) References Ref-01. Rules and Regulations Governing Use of District Facilities (on the Web at ) (This page intentionally blank)
Conclusions 1
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CL1 Page 3C-01. The District does not adequately inform the general public of the mission, duties, and responsibilities of the Ranger Program. (F-06 through F-09) C-02. A lack of awareness of the mission, duties, enforcement authority, and responsibilities of the Ranger Program has resulted in the District having difficulty obtaining criminal prosecution through the VCDA. (F-02, F-16) C-03. The District Ranger Program is not staffed to carry out patrol duties on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis, thus leaving the property and facilities vulnerable to criminal acts during the ten hours a day that rangers are not on patrol. Since the District has plans for expansion, additional Ranger staff may be required. (F-01 through F0-04, F-13, F-17) C-04. Without formalized agreements with city and county law enforcement, there is a likelihood that confusion and misunderstandings could result regarding jurisdictional responsibilities and expectations in the event of a significant incident occurring on District property. (F-02, F-11 through F-14) C-05. The District and the general public does not have an accurate overall picture of crimes and incidents occurring on its properties. (F-07 through F-10, F-15)
No Responses Found 5
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
Special District
Simi Valley
City
Ventura County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office
Ventura County District Attorney
Elected County Office
Ventura County Sheriff
Elected County Office