Moorpark welcomes new police chief
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Capt. Ron Nelson

Capt. Ron Nelson was recently appointed acting Chief of Police for the city of Moorpark.

Moorpark is one of five cities in the county that contract with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department for police services. Sheriff captains are assigned by the department to serve as chief of police in subcontracting townships.

Nelson will replace Jeff Matson, who was promoted to commander and will oversee the VCSD Special Services Division.

"(Nelson) is one of the harderworking employees of the department; he's intelligent and highly ethical," Matson said. "He has a lot of experience here so he knows Moorpark very well." Leading the Moorpark station "has been a dream of mine for the last 10 years," said Nelson, who wilstart in his new position on Monday.

During his 21year career with VCSD, Nelson has worked in nearly every patrol station in the county. His knowledge of the Moorpark beacomes from patrolling the city as deputy from 1989 to 1994 and senior deputy from 1995 to 1997.

He served as administrative sergeant in Moorpark from 1999 to 2001. During that time he supervised personnel assigned to patrol, community policing and traffic units and oversaw officers assigned to schools.

Most recently, as administrative captain for West County patrol services, Nelson has managed the operations of the headquarters patrol station and the Sheriff's Tactical Response Team.

As leader of the local station, which serves Moorpark and surrounding unincorporated areas, Nelson said he hopes to maintain the high standards set by his predecessors and he looks forward to collaborating with local residents and business owners to make the community safer.

The department plans this spring to start a new citizens' academy, offering a series of classes to individuals interested in learning what the department has to offer and how the system works. Community members work with deputies to solve crimes and preserve the quality of life in local neighborhoods.

"As law enforcement officers we can't do it alone; we need people to help us with information and interface with officers," Nelson said.

He'd like to increase the number of patrol cars in Moorpark, he said, but acknowledged that the city's budget may not be able to accommodate the need in the near future due to the slowing economy.

Although new programs and resources were added in recent years, the number of first responders hasn't changed since the '90s, Nelson said.

Two cars patrol the city on a 24hour basis and several parttime units assist them, but the need for police presence has grown with the increase in population, he said.

Nelson chose a career in law enforcement because he enjoys solving problems, he said. He and his family have lived in the area for about 20 years