RLP NEWS
Ventura had 20 commercial burglaries in August and 10 in September, according to the crime map released by the Ventura Police Department.
While these numbers fluctuate, detectives on the Ventura County Organized Retail Theft Task Force are on a mission to combat organized retail, vehicle and cargo theft to prevent an estimated $10 million in yearly losses.
“It started last year in October, but we didn’t really get going until mid-April,” said Sgt. Baltazar Tapia who serves on the task force. “It lets people know that we’re serious. We’re not LA County. We’re trying to be like Orange County, with their no-nonsense approach toward crime, and we arrest everybody. Whether it’s a misdemeanor or not, they end up going to jail.”
The latest blitz operation by the task force occurred the weekend of Oct. 4 at the Camarillo Premium Outlets, and resulted in the arrests of 14 adults and one juvenile, where an estimated $23,000 in stolen property was recovered, along with a stolen vehicle, around 90 grams of methamphetamine and several types of burglary tools.
“That takes weeks of planning just because we need the personnel,” Tapia said of the operation, adding that cities are contacted to secure the right number of officers for the operation.
Those arrested ranged in age from 17 to 64, hailing from various California cities, including Oxnard, Carson, Gardena, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Watsonville, Van Nuys and Porter Ranch.
Tapia noted that there’s been a trend of people coming from LA County to target Ventura retailers.
“It’s just something they decide. They drive north,” he said, estimating that for blitz operations, around 60% to 70% of those arrested are coming from LA or areas outside Ventura.
During the recent Camarillo Outlets operation, task force detectives were involved in two separate vehicle pursuits involving the retail-theft suspects.
The first pursuit involved two suspects, one from Long Beach and one from Los Angeles. While one entered a Target in Camarillo and filled a bag with cosmetics, another entered a nearby Walmart and took over-the-counter medication.
Both were witnessed getting into a yellow Ford Mustang without valid license plates and fleeing.
Detectives pursued the suspects into Thousand Oaks with help from a Ventura County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit helicopter. The pursuit continued into Los Angeles County, where California Highway Patrol took over, with assistance from another helicopter from the Los Angeles Police Department.
After the Mustang’s tires tore apart, the pair were arrested by CHP officers on the southbound 110 freeway.