AT THE TOP CHIEF TO REACH OUT, INVOLVE COMMUNITY.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer MOORPARK - Now Jeff Matson knows what Gene Bartow Gene Bartow (born August 18, 1930) is a former college men's basketball coach. The Browning, Missouri native coached 34 years at six universities. He coached at Central Missouri State University from 1961-64, Valparaiso University from 1964-1970 and Memphis State University felt like. In 1975, Bartow replaced legendary UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX basketball Coach John Wooden. Now, Matson is replacing a semi-legend in these parts, taking over for Dick Diaz as Moorpark's police chief. ``I'm following a tough act there,'' Matson said. Last week, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department The Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD) provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, USA, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that VCSD serves are Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, and Thousand Oaks. named Matson Moorpark's top cop. Diaz retires next month after a 37-year law enforcement career, four of them running the Moorpark force. Matson, a 23-year department veteran, has come home again after patrolling the city years ago. Now, he'll oversee about 40 sheriff's deputies - half of whom patrol the east Ventura County city of nearly 36,000. His first day is March 26. ``I just want to leave Moorpark in better shape than the way I found it,'' he said. He'll find it in pretty good shape. The city is Ventura County's safest. If it has one homicide homicide (hŏm`əsīd), in law, the taking of human life. Homicides that are neither justifiable nor excusable are considered crimes. A criminal homicide committed with malice is known as murder, otherwise it is called manslaughter. in a year, that's news. Kathy Kemp n. 1. Coarse, rough hair in wool or fur, injuring its quality. , the first female deputy chief in Sheriff's Department history, worked alongside Matson when she was Thousand Oaks' acting chief of police from 1993-2000. Matson was second in charge during part of her tenure. ``Jeff has a real natural ability to get people to follow him, and that's a great indication of a leader,'' she said. Kemp said Matson is an advocate of community involvement and building partnerships. His years in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. gave him an insight of what's to come: answering to multiple bosses, including the Sheriff's Department, city officials and local residents. Among his goals are enhancing community outreach programs, continuing to support the citizens volunteer force and forging already strong ties between law enforcement and the public. Sheriff's Cmdr. Marty Rouse said Matson, 53, was the department's only choice. Because Moorpark contracts with the department for police services, his selection required approval from the city. ``He has a lot of energy, lots of expertise,'' Rouse said. ``He is someone who genuinely wants to leave their mark in a positive way ... leave a legacy. Everywhere he goes, he's done that.'' During his 23 years with the department, Matson has served as administrative services captain for Thousand Oaks, managed the pretrial pre·tri·al n. A proceeding held before an official trial, especially to clarify points of law and facts. adj. 1. Of or relating to a pretrial. 2. detention facility and the Internal Affairs Internal affairs may refer to:
tr.v. su·per·vised, su·per·vis·ing, su·per·vis·es To have the charge and direction of; superintend. [Middle English *supervisen, from Medieval Latin 61 deputies and 10 sergeants. He is also credited with co-founding the Volunteers in Policing program in Thousand Oaks - an accomplishment that caught Moorpark Mayor Pat Hunter's attention. ``What impressed me most in talking with Capt. Matson was his understanding that a successful law enforcement program requires partnerships with a number of agencies and specifically, partnering with the public,'' Hunter said. ``He had experience with those kinds of relationships. He was and is and will be a good fit for the position in the city. He shares our vision.'' The twist in being chief in such a safe city is maintaining that lofty position, Hunter said. ``Moorpark is a growing community, and although we enjoy a very low crime rate, a growing community requires that you pay particular attention to crime trends,'' said Hunter, a Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County sheriff's lieutenant. ``I expect him to be a hands-on manager, to analyze the kinds of crime in the city and do what he can to suppress To stop something or someone; to prevent, prohibit, or subdue. To suppress evidence is to keep it from being admitted at trial by showing either that it was illegally obtained or that it is irrelevant. criminal activity.'' Matson is up to the challenge and said it's a dream come true coming back to a city where he once worked as a patrol officer, although it's changed dramatically, he said. ``Going to Moorpark is an opportunity of a lifetime,'' said the father of two college students who lives in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . Matson will make about $118,000 a year. His arrival comes two months after the completion of the new police headquarters in Moorpark, a state-of-the-art $11 million facility. Diaz said Matson understands what needs to be done. ``He is capable,'' Diaz said. ``Seems to fit.'' Still, he said jokingly, ``Nobody likes to be replaced.'' Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Jeff Matson, a 23-year Ventura County Sheriff's Department veteran, will replace retiring Moorpark Police Chief Dick Diaz. |
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