County Supervisor and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Announce Vehicle Anti-Theft Crime Prevention Campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29, 2012
(Westminster) Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens,
Chief Probation Officer Steven Sentman, Garden Grove Police Chief Kevin Raney, and Westminster Police
Chief Kevin Baker, held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce the launch of a collaborative
crime prevention campaign. The campaign is designed to combat a drastic increase in burglaries and thefts from
vehicles in the Little Saigon retail centers within the Cities of Garden Grove, Westminster and the
unincorporated community of Midway City.
These areas have seen an upwards of 39% more thefts and/or burglaries from vehicles in recent months.
With the slogan of “Hide It, Lock it, or Lose It”, the multimedia campaign educates the public about the
importance of hiding their belongings and locking their cars while parked in public retail centers. The campaign
is comprised of parking lot signs, banners, radio and television announcements providing numerous
preventative measures that can be taken to minimize the chances of being victimized.
First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen is leading the collaborative effort to educate the public in order to
prevent these crimes from continuing and spreading. “With the holiday season right around the corner, it is
imperative that we make a conscious effort to inform the public about the simple yet useful precautions that
they can take to protect themselves,” said Supervisor Janet Nguyen. “I want to thank all of the participating
agencies for their tremendous efforts.”
“We have had great success with the ‘Hide It, Lock It, or Lose It’ campaign as a theft deterrent,” said Orange
County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens when referring to the positive impacts that this campaign has had in other parts of Orange County. “This is a program the community can participate in to avoid becoming a victim.”
The parking lot signs will be displayed in both English and Vietnamese in targeted Little Saigon retail centers.
Westminster Police Chief Kevin Baker, who patrols the area of Little Saigon that has seen a notable increase in these types of crimes, highlighted the importance of this unified campaign. “Partnering with our community in regard to crime issues is the hallmark of our policing methodology at Westminster. I thoroughly appreciate the partnership we have with our Supervisor and allied agencies in fighting crime and making our community a safer place.”
“Unfortunately, property crimes have been increasing in Garden Grove for the past 16 months. The largest increase in these crimes involves theft from unlocked vehicles. It is imperative for everyone to take a few extra seconds and lock their vehicles when leaving them unattended and to also not leave any valuables in plain sight inside the vehicle”, said Chief Kevin Raney.
Orange County Chief Probation Officer Steven Sentman echoed the importance of a regional effort that involves the community’s participation. “My hope is that our residents will join in this collaboration and will do their part to protect themselves and their families.”
The radio and television announcements are set to run through the holiday season, while the parking signs will be permanent.
###
The Honorable Janet Nguyen was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in February 2007 and overwhelmingly reelected in 2008 and 2012. She represents the First District, which is comprised of more than 600,000 people and covers the Cities of Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster, the unincorporated community of Midway City and portions of Fountain Valley. This is the largest community of Vietnamese expatriates outside of Vietnam. Supervisor Nguyen is the first woman to represent the First District,
the first Asian-American and the first Vietnamese-American to serve on the Board of Supervisors, as well as the youngest Supervisor elected in Orange County history. Additionally, she is the highest ranking Vietnamese official in the State of California and the highest ranking Vietnamese American woman elected official in the United States.
Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens is the first female sheriff of Orange County. Under her direction, approximately 3,600 sworn and professional staff members along with more than 800 reserve personnel provide law enforcement services. The Sheriff’s Department serves 670,000 Orange County residents in 12 contract cities and the unincorporated County areas through 24-hour police patrols, investigative units, parking control and vehicle abatement services. In addition, OCSD provides the following services to the more
than three million residents of the County of Orange: coroner, forensic science, correctional facilities, hazardous device squad, communications, court security, John Wayne Airport security, harbor patrol and many other services.
Steven J. Sentman is the Chief Probation Officer for the County of Orange. Under his command, Probation assists the criminal court system in Orange County and supervises approximately 23,000 adult and juvenile offenders on court-ordered probation or in diversion programs.
Kevin Raney is the Chief of Police in the City of Garden Grove. He began his career in 1976 and became Garden Grove’s 11th Chief of Police in 2011. He is credited with initiating the opening of the Department’s Juvenile Justice Center in 1998.
Kevin Baker is the Chief of Police in the City of Westminster. He is a graduate of the 233rd session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, as well as executive programs at Harvard University and the University of Virginia.
Contact:
- Christy Delp, Policy Advisor/Communications Director, Office of Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, (714) 834-3110
- Bridget Kelly, Government Relations Manager, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, (714) 647-1834
- Ed Harrison, Public Information Officer, OC Probation Department, (714) 569-2166
- Lt. Jeff Nightengale, Public Information Officer, Garden Grove Police Department, (714) 741-5340
- Sgt. Cameron Knauerhaze, Public Information Officer, Westminster Police Department, (714) 548-3791
