Strong-arm robberies on the rise in Moorpark

2008 January - December Reported Part 1 Crimes by Precent Last year Moorpark recorded a 27 percent year-over-year spike in strong-arm holdups involving victims forced to give up cellphones, wallets and other personal items, but local police apprehended suspects in all 22 cases.

The previous year, 12 such robberies were reported, with threats of physical violence if they resisted robbers' demands, according to statistics recently compiled by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

"The 27 percent increase in Moorpark is driven by an increase in strong-arm robberies," said Moorpark Police Capt. Ron Nelson.

Police blamed most of the crimes on a group of Moorpark teenagers who used scare tactics to frighten their victims into turning over personal goods. The robberies occurred across the city and throughout the year, but in every case patrol officers were able to apprehend suspects, Nelson said.

In Moorpark, residential burglaries went up from 66 in 2007 to 78 in 2008, equaling an 18 percent increase. Grand thefts, in which the goods taken are worth more than $400, went down from 152 to 131 and petty thefts (of less than $400) incidents dropped from 280 to 279. These two categories include thefts from unlocked vehicles.

Local figures show shoplifting reports are rising, possibly due to the stalled economy, but the decrease in thefts from unlocked vehicles was attributed to people heeding police warnings to lock cars and hide valuables, Nelson said.

Thieves who break into cars or homes may come from Moorpark or outside its boundaries. Trends are countywide, so detectives use a networking system to solve such crimes. The same groups are often involved in strings of incidents, Nelson said.

Moorpark police arrested one organized crew that was based in Glendale but coming here to burglarize homes last fall, Nelson said.

Rape reports were also tallied. Five rapes occurred in Moorpark in 2008, compared to four the previous year. The assaults each occurred after parties involving underage drinking and people who knew each other, Nelson said.

Thefts from businesses have remained at a steady rate but that could change if the marketplace doesn't improve, he said. "We haven't seen a huge increase in crimes affecting businesses but everyone is holding their breath because of the economy."

The police department is working with business owners and residents to review safety measures. Officers walked door-to-door in some neighborhoods last year, providing residents with theft prevention tips.

Police also advise the business community to take steps to deter crime. Aside from not keeping large amounts of cash on the premises, the first thing police tell storeowners is never to resist or confront robbers, Nelson said. "Do what they say and get a description and after they leave call 911. Be a good witness."

Some crimes can affect victims over an extended period of time. Detectives at the Moorpark station have noticed an increase in cases of identify theft and credit card fraud, Nelson said. Such crimes typically occur following the theft of a wallet or purse, but others are committed remotely, using a magnetic card "skimming" device to capture information from unsuspecting consumers as they swipe debit and credit cards at an ATM or gas station pump.

Skimming incidents haven't been seen much in Moorpark, but reports have gone up in other Ventura County cities.

Nelson said statistics offer a good way to keep track of crimes in the county, but the numbers don't reflect the impact of crime on victims.

"When comparing notes with other communities, we have to remind ourselves that each community is different," he said. "Moorpark is most affected by theft and graffiti while other parts of the county have drive-by shootings."