Volunteers Deserve Credit in Arrest

* The presence of a sexual predator can strike fear in the heart of a community. This was the case after the Jan. 25 rape of a woman in the Thunderland Trailer Park. The same suspect struck again on Feb. 20. Two days later, after an attempted rape, an extensive investigative effort and saturation patrol resulted in the arrest of Juan Zavala.

The media appropriately credited a task force consisting of 27 deputies from the Thousand Oaks Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Department with this arrest. I am tremendously proud of our deputies, but they did what you expect us to do.

The understated element of this story is the importance of our volunteers in this successful apprehension. On the night preceding the arrest, 10 volunteers canvassed approximately 400 homes in the area of the previous rapes with composite drawings of the suspect. On the morning of the arrest, more than 25 additional volunteers were prepared to distribute an additional 2,500 composites.

Many members from the Volunteers in Policing program and Disaster Assistance Response Team were called during the early morning hours and agreed to spend their days or evenings going house to house. Volunteers patrolled streets. Our deputies also received tremendous cooperation from the courageous victims, witnesses, and residents in the impacted area.

BOB BROOKS

Chief deputy sheriff

Thousand Oaks