County board will make decision on a community prosecutor
By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

Local detectives may soon be making fewer trips to Ventura if the County Board of Supervisors approves stationing a deputy district attorney in Simi Valley and Moorpark.

Both city councils have budgeted money for the longwishedfor community prosecutor, who would rotate between offices in Simi and Moorpark as an "inhouse" prosecutorial resource.

Simi Valley has set aside $60,000 for the position, while Moorpark has earmarked $20,000. And, using funds from a discretionary grant from Congress, county District Attorney Greg Totten has allocated $52,000 annually for the next three years to support the new position.

In addition to handling the traditional responsibilities of reviewing and filing misdemeanor complaints, the community prosecutor could participate in local law enforcement briefings, training and community outreach while also assisting police with search warrants, felony cases, investigations and arrests.

According to police chief Mike Lewis, the most immediate benefit of having a deputy district attorney in the city is that police investigators won't need to go to Ventura to consult with the D.A.'s office or to file paperwork.

"We're excited that we are not going to have to drive to Ventura," Lewis said. "It's going to be timeefficient for us in the filing of cases and the prosecution of them."

Currently, the Simi Valley department has a filing officer who drives all the cases to Ventura five days a week, but detectives also make runs to the county courthouse, especially if a case requires followup work or a filing is incomplete.

"If they are working a critical case, say a homicide, it is not uncommon for a detective to make the drive down there to talk to a deputy D.A. who will be prosecuting the case," Lewis said.

But it's not all about mileage and saving time. Lewis said officers will benefit from having the community prosecutor readily available to them, and the department envisions making office space within the station so detectives "can walk right by the office and bounce ideas off" the deputy D.A.

Because the local prosecutor would be more familiar with specific issues that arise within the cities of Simi and Moorpark, the deputy D.A. would be able to provide specialized legal assistance to law enforcement.

"By having a legal mind, a prosecutor, working with us on a regular basis, an officer or a detective can go by his office and say, 'I have a question' and get some real, firsthand information," Lewis said. "From that standpoint, it's going to allow us to be better prepared when we go into court."

In 2002, with money from a federal grant, a community prosecutor program was started to serve the communities of Thousand Oaks, Simi and Moorpark, but after a year the federal government decided not to renew the grant.

At that time, Thousand Oaks decided to maintain the position with its own funds, but it was not enough money to finance a fulltime prosecutor.

Jim Ellison, chief assistant to the county district attorney, said the push for a community prosecutor was renewed by a desire to see more county services in the eastern communities.

"There's always been a focus to try to get some additional services out in the east end of the county," he said, noting that Supervisor Peter Foy was a prime champion for getting a community prosecutor.

If the board of supervisors OKs the stationing of a deputy D.A., the cities of Simi and Moorpark will still have a bit of a wait before getting their local prosecutor.

"It's not going to happen within three weeks because you're dealing with getting federal monies and it takes a bit longer than that," Ellison said.

In a Nutshell

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors will decide soon whether or not to station a deputy district attorney in the East County. This community prosecutor would rotate between offices in Simi Valley and Moorpark, assisting police with search warrants, felony cases, investigations and arrests.

The two cities have already earmarked a combined $80,000 to help the county pay for the new position.