Police Plan Meeting on Storefront Move

The Ventura Police Department has scheduled a town hall meeting this week to discuss the possibility of moving a police storefront now located in the Montalvo area of east Ventura.

The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Montalvo Elementary School auditorium, 2050 Grand Ave., is meant to give residents the opportunity to voice their opinion on the issue, said Sgt. Bob Anderson.

“We’ve had a lot of anxiety and complaints, so we want to meet with the people of the area and listen to their concerns,” Anderson said.

The move was prompted because the property owner wanted to put it to a different use, he said. The owner had leased the storefront to the department for just $1 a year, Anderson said.

“It was very generous of him, and we never expected to stay there indefinitely,” he said.

The property owner has since changed his mind and is willing to continue to lease the space to the police.

But Anderson said the department is still considering moving from its present site at 6368 Bristol Road to a storefront at the Ralphs shopping center at Telephone Road and Petit Avenue.

For more information on the meeting, contact Anderson at 339-4369.