1990 in Ventura County : YEAR IN REVIEW : Crime : West’s ‘Safest’ County

If Ventura County residents worried about war, fire, drought, and depression in 1990, at least they could feel safe in their homes.

Although crime increased in both the state and nation in 1989, it declined in Ventura County, according to statistics released by the FBI in August. The county was safest in the West among counties with at least one city of more than 50,000 people.

The county had 3,813 crimes per 100,000 people, barely half the number for Los Angeles County. Murders, rapes, assaults and larcenies were down while robberies, burglaries and car thefts were up. Despite the relatively low incidence of crime, Ventura County nevertheless had a number of serious crimes, including the cases of an 8-year-old boy who was kidnaped, strangled and set ablaze near Simi Valley, allegedly by a disgruntled day-care worker; a Fillmore High graduate killed by a drunk driver a few hours after receiving his diploma; a young woman beaten in a Ventura alley and left for dead with a stick jutting from her throat; a Camarillo woman who was shot and killed by her husband, who then shot himself as their son tried to summon help; and two Ojai Valley youths stabbed by gang members a few hundred feet from a popular Ventura Harbor nightspot.

Looking Ahead

In December, officials tentatively decided to build a new jail near Santa Paula that could eventually house 2,306 inmates. The move bolstered Ventura County’s longstanding reputation for aggressive prosecution and sentencing of criminals.

The economy, however, is likely to be the most crucial factor in keeping the area safe. The main reasons for the county’s low crime rate, officials say, are its relative affluence and the absence of large pockets of poverty that breed crime.