PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers FAMILIAR SIGHT-A Moorpark police cruiser responds to a call at Park Springs Condominiums. Part two of three parts

For most Moorpark residents, spray-paint vandalism is nothing more than the occasional eyesore encountered on the way to work, while running errands, or when stopping by a friend's house.

But at Park Springs Condominiums, a 160-unit complex of homes in the north end of Moorpark, graffiti, or "tagging," is a perpetual fact of life, disappearing and reappearing so often that some residents no longer give it a second glance.

The vandalism, which frequently features a version of "MP" or "MPLS," is often perpetrated by members or associates of the Moorpark Locos, the city's resident gang, which has called this area of Moorpark home for more than three decades.

Ironically, Park Springs is less than a quarter mile from the new Moorpark Police Services Center, home to both the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol. Despite the location and regular police patrols, property crimes and especially graffiti need to be addressed constantly.

PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers LEAVING THEIR MARK-A stone by the entrance to Park Springs is spray-painted with the letters "MP," the tag of Moorpark's resident gang. The condominiums on the north side of Moorpark have long been a haven for gang activity. The issue of Park Springs has long been a thorn in the side of Sr. Dep. Ed Tumbleson, who's been dealing with criminal activity at the condos since he was just a rookie cop.

"In 1984, my first arrest was at Park Springs Condominiums," Tumbleson said. "Historically, they've had a real problem. It's a cherry patch for arrests. We're aware of it, but as police we can't change the environment. We make the arrest, they get out of jail, they come back to Park Springs."

For a number of reasons, gang members tend to congregate in and around Park Springs, a location that allows them a quick escape either by disappearing into the denselypacked condominiums or leaping the nearby wall that leads to the Arroyo. It doesn't help that some residents are believed to provide gang members a safe haven when they're trying to escape the police.

Gang enforcement officer Matt Curtin is a regular there, especially after hours when Moorpark's criminal element is most active.

"At night the landscape is totally different," said Curtin, who's had more than one pursuit culminate at Park Springs. "We may come after them, but they jump that wall or head into the condos and they're gone."

While acts of violence and other more serious crimes are rare, the presence of the gang element has affected the lives of residents in certain areas of the complex.

Juan, an owner at Park Springs, who asked the Moorpark Acorn not use his last name, said he's sometimes hassled by loiterers on the way into his condo- oftentimes, when he's with his wife and young daughter.

His biggest concern, though, is his work truck, which he leaves outside at night because the family's car takes up the garage. Vehicular burglary and vandalism are two of the most common crimes committed at Park Springs.

"I'm worried about it because there are so many people hanging outside here at night, getting into trouble," Juan said.

Another resident who asked that her name not be released said she no longer feels safe allowing her 11-year-old daughter to play outside at the complex's facilities.

"I don't let her out the front door anymore, no way," said the woman, whose family owns the condo they live in at Park Springs. "I take her to friends' houses."

Part of the problem is that Park Springs residents are a mixture of owners and renters, with some owners-and local law enforcement-feeling that those who rent their units don't do enough to regulate who's allowed to live there, such as doing background and/or credit checks.

Some residents have accused the HOA and the management company of being unresponsive to the problem, despite the fact that the organizations collect $300 a month in homeowner's insurance.

"It's like they sit over there and collect the money and don't care what's going on over here," the resident said.

Curtin said he's heard these kinds of statements before.

"In talking to people over there, they are frustrated with the homeowner's association," Curtin said. "They don't feel the HOA is very proactive, and that's really where it starts, with the homeowners.

"We'll do our part, but also the HOA needs to do their part because the tenants are tired of it. There are a lot of people who own those places, and they work 9-to5 jobs and have children like everybody else, and they're tired of coming home to this," he added.

Mike Marsh, a manager for Gold Coast Management, the Thousand Oaks-based firm hired by the Park Springs HOA to oversee the property, said they've done everything in their power to try to deter criminal activity.

"We will take every option that is allowable in their CCRs," Marsh said.

Those options are limited if the company cannot link the crime back to a particular unit.

"There is nothing in their CCRs that would allow them to dictate who owners can rent to," said Jeff Beaumont, an attorney representing Gold Coast Management.

Whoever is to blame for the situation, it's clear someone needs to take action if Park Springs hopes to rid itself of the plague of gang activity and graffiti.

Tumbleson said he's long encouraged the homeowners to get active in their own defense, suggesting they begin a neighborhood watch, or consider a program called Crime-Free Multi Housing. When they have in the past, Tumbleson said, it's proved effective in combating crime.

"In 1993 the residents there did some real simple things: they started calling the police when they saw gang members, they were vigilant, they looked out for one another," he said. "Calls for service almost dropped to nil. There was a 95 percent reduction. It goes to show that law enforcement is just part of what it takes to keep a neighborhood safe."

Tumbleson is hopeful another group of residents at Parks Springs will stand up against the current wave of criminal activity.

"The key is just to be vigilant, to keep the drapes open, and most importantly, report suspicious activity," Tumbleson said. "We love to come by and talk to them. If (gang members) think Park Springs Condominiums is a comfortable place to hang out, they've got to take that away by calling the police every time they see them gather. The police will come over and make it uncomfortable for them. And callers can remain anonymous."

Tumbleson said the gang members' powers of intimidation have little effect on uniformed officers.

"They may look scary to the common resident . . . but the police department, we're not intimidated by them," he said.

Part III of the Moorpark Acorn's series on gangs and graffiti will appear next week.