California

State Farm Helps the Oxnard Police Department Measure Safely

State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Safe Neighbor Grant contributed more than $2,500 to the Oxnard Police Department for the purchase of 56 Rolatapes. Team members and agents from the Channel Islands Agency Field Office paid the police department a visit and presented the “big check” to officers recently.

Rolatapes are used by the Oxnard Police Department in traffic collision investigations as well as on other crime scenes to measure distance quickly and accurately. By documenting precise measurements of tire marks, vehicles, evidence, and other significant factors at traffic collisions officers are able to calculate the speed of the vehicle and help to determine primary collision factors.

According to Channel Islands Agency Field Executive Bill Gomez, “Police reports that contain measurements allow for the accurate re-creation of incident scenes if necessary, helping in a variety of investigation purposes, including at times, insurance claims. Investigators gain credibility when presenting evidence in court that contains precise measurements.”

Rolatapes are in high demand at police departments due to the compact size, reliability, and ease of use. With minimal training, officers are able to use Rolatapes and improve reports. The purchase made it possible to outfit all patrol units, motorcycles, and Traffic Service Assistant vehicles with a Rolatape measuring device. This is critical for the Oxnard Police Department as the city is ranked #4 in California for various collision categories among 56 similar-sized cities

In 2010, Oxnard Police Department took reports of over 2,000 crashes. Of those, 900 involved injuries, eight collisions resulted in fatalities, and 200 were attributed to driving while under the influence.

Oxnard Police Department thanked State Farm for improving the quality of their investigations and helping to increase convictions in criminal cases.

State Farm Agents Tom Waddell, Charles Allison, and Ana Morales participated in the check presentation since so many of the customers they serve will be positively affected by this new edition to the department.