Oxnard police chief tells council vacancies, overdoses and traffic collisions drive service demands; recommends council receive report

Police Chief Jason Benitez presented a prerecorded briefing to the Oxnard City Council on Dec. 2, 2025, saying chronic vacancies and a sharp rise in overdose responses have reshaped the department’s priorities and resource needs. He recommended the council "receive and file" the update from the police and fire chiefs.

Benitez said the department currently has 242 authorized sworn officer positions, down from a historical high of 254 between 2011 and 2015, and a staffing ratio of roughly 1.22 officers per 1,000 residents. He told the council the police general fund makes up about 36% of the city’s General Fund and that those budget shares vary across comparable West Coast cities.

The chief described how sustained high call volumes—peaking above 132,000 calls in 2020 and averaging about 118,000 annually over the past three years—strain patrol and dispatch resources. To maintain response capability, the department implemented a "patrol flex" plan that temporarily reassigns specialty-unit officers to patrol; Benitez said this has helped staffing on patrol but reduced time for proactive neighborhood policing, traffic enforcement and detective work and that the department expects to return officers to specialty duties in 2026 after stronger 2025 recruiting.

Benitez also highlighted emergency response standards and technology needs. He said the department seeks to respond to 'emergency‑plus' (life‑threatening) calls in under five minutes;…