OCSD announces crime, report found in Rossmoor

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department presented its annual crime report to the Rossmoor Community Services District board on Tuesday, urging residents to remain vigilant despite a significant drop in calls for service.

Apparently, Mr. Rossmoore’s repeated expressions of concern about law enforcement attracted some attention, with the appointment of a new director (in March 2023) and the introduction of “new investigative techniques” bringing about changes.

As an unincorporated area, Rossmoor must rely on OCSD for criminal law enforcement within the Rossmoor area and the California Highway Patrol for traffic enforcement.

Capt. AJ Patera, who is currently in charge of all unincorporated areas in Orange County, reported that the district had 166 calls for service in the past year, compared to 196 last year, but 24 He said he was hesitant to request service because of the drop in sales. A positive development.

“Last year we had 196 calls for service. This year is 166, so some people might say that’s a good thing. To me. I actually like it when the public calls our dispatch, so That hurts my heart,” Patera said.

Patera said residents should “call us if they see anything suspicious.”
“I don’t care if the call volume increases. To me, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for people to report suspicious activity,” he said. “So I would hesitate to say that (reduced calls to service) is a good thing, so I really want to encourage people to call (to report suspicious activity). We say that’s a good thing…and reports come in of all shapes and sizes,” the police chief said.

“Not all of them are crime reports,” he said, noting that information about the homes helped stop at least one serious crime against an elderly resident in Rossmoor.

“I’m really proud that some of the trends we’ve seen and some of the things that my people are doing behind the scenes are having a big impact here,” Patera said. Told.

He did not say exactly what lawmakers were doing behind the scenes, but suggested that “new investigative techniques” involved data in some way.

Mr. Patera displayed a poster graphic with pictures of Los Angeles gangsters and more than a dozen others connected by lines and arrows.

He said Rossmoor’s vigilance thwarted a “bank juggling” incident in Rossmoor in October, and that the department’s quick response to reports made a difference in medical aid cases.

Last October, Mr Patera said he had been monitoring gang members and had a “hunch” that an incident was about to occur in Rossmoor. “There were no robberies in Rossmoor that day because we stopped them,” Patera said.

“We didn’t catch them that day, but we caught them on Dec. 13. They were involved in over 40 robberies in Orange County, and we filed charges against them all.”
“Our priority response times at Rossmoor are outstanding,” says Patera.

He said that while it’s not entirely under the Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction, crimes against persons have decreased and thefts have also decreased significantly in the area.

“What I’m really proud of is actually crimes against property, and basically, as you can see (pointing to the graph), they’ve gone down very, very significantly.” To explain, there was a huge amount of catalytic converter theft. And this year it has been significantly reduced.

When asked by coach Joe Schade how many catalytic converters had been stolen at Rossmoor in the past year, Patera said only one.

Board Chairman Michael Maynard called the report “very commendable” and asked Mr. Patera and OCSD to “keep up the good work…and help prevent crime in Rossmoor.” I’m happy,” he said.
“And I totally agree with you. If you see something, call me and report it. “What do you say, ‘If you see something, say something?’ That’s what we need,” Maynard said.

Patera said modern criminals are smart, but their patterns are often predictable. They may also use data and surveillance equipment to know when to attack. “It only takes five to 10 minutes,” Patera said, suggesting that “they know what they’re doing and we need to be really, really vigilant.”