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About The VPD
The mission of the Ventura Police Department is to protect, serve, and problem solve with our community. We are great people, providing exceptional service, and we value excellence, integrity, professionalism, respect, and transparency.
We are a family of over 250 sworn, professional staff, and volunteers that work tirelessly towards this mission each day. We accomplish this by investing in our team and building strong community partnerships through community events, neighborhood meetings, and day to day activities. We stay committed to you by maintaining trust through transparency and showcasing our commitment to excellence.
The Ventura Police Department is comprised of two divisions: Field Operations and Administration Operations.
- The majority of our staffing is dedicated to patrol operations. Many of our special assignment teams, such as the Patrol Task Force dedicated to homeless outreach, our K9 Unit, and Traffic Unit, as well as the calming voices of Dispatch, work within the Field Operations Division.
- Our Administration Operations includes all Investigations units, Crime Analysis, School Resource Officers, Records, and Professional Standards and Training.
Each of the members in these divisions proudly serve our city and strive to perform their best every day, treating each resident equally with respect, empathy and dignity. Please take a moment to learn more about our community engagement opportunities, Community Crime Map, District Commanders, and the goals established in our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan.
We thank you for putting your trust in us to protect your families, property, and businesses and look forward to our next positive interaction.
Learn more about us:
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Our Units
The Ventura Police Department is comprised of about 137 police officers and 48 professional staff who serve the city in different roles. Learn more about the K9 Unit, dispatchers, records, volunteers, community outreach, investigations, and more.
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Strategic Plan
The Ventura Police three-year Strategic Plan serves as a guiding document for where the department hopes to go, programs we hope to implement, and goals we hope to accomplish in the foreseeable future. The annual report is made available as a document to help measure success, showcase accomplishments, and educate community members.
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Join Our Team
Have an amazing career at the Ventura Police Department! We are always looking for courageous men and women who have a passion to protect, serve, and problem solve with our community to join our team as police officers, public safety dispatchers, cadets, and professional staff. We have great people, providing exceptional service and we value excellence, integrity, professionalism, respect, and transparency.
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Command Staff
The Ventura Police Department has one chief, one assistant chief, and six commanders leading the agency. Learn more about them, their backgrounds, and their contact information.
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Employee Development
We have high expectations of our officers and provide more training than is required by California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. We pride ourselves on continually learning and improving upon our skills to provide the highest of quality of service to our Ventura.
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Firearms Training
The Ventura Police Shooting Range can be used by police personnel seven days a week from 9am-7pm, but is not used every day. The range hours are set to allow for necessary training while trying to reduce the noise impact on the surrounding neighborhoods.
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District Commanders
As part of our effort to strengthen community partnerships, increase collaboration and accountability, and streamline problem solving efforts, a Ventura Police Commander has been assigned to each of the Neighborhood Community Councils and to the Downtown Ventura Partners.
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Public Postings