Officers Prepare for ‘90’s Parting Shots : Holiday: Departments countywide will beef up patrols to stop people who plan to ring out the old year by firing weapons in the air.

Ventura County police forces will beef up patrols tonight in an effort to cut down on the number of people who celebrate New Year’s Eve by firing guns into the air.

Authorities said many people do not realize that their stray bullets can inflict great harm.

“It’s a tradition born of ignorance,” Ventura Police Sgt. Bob Velez said.

The Oxnard Police Department usually receives hundreds of calls concerning gunshots on New Year’s Eve, Assistant Chief William Cady said.

Oxnard police are appealing to the public not to fire. They are also asking people to report all gunshots.

“We don’t have any illusions about stopping it, but we hope to cut it down,” Cady said.

The department will add about 20 officers to the 22 who regularly patrol between 9:30 p.m. and 3 a.m., Cady said.

They will be on hand to deal with the other problems that crop up on New Year’s Eve, traditionally the department’s busiest night of the year, Cady said.

Cady said the bullets are particularly dangerous to people who live in mobile homes.

Residents of the Colony Mobile Home Park at 2400 E. Pleasant Valley Road found 10 bullets last New Year’s Day.

“It kind of scares you,” resident Ardys Hardin said. “You’re thinking, ‘I wonder if I should go to bed or get under the bed.’ ”

Residents of the nearby Ocean-Aire Mobile Home Estates in Oxnard traditionally spend New Year’s Eve in their clubhouse because the thick shake roofs offer more protection from errant bullets.

“We have a lot of elderly who are scared,” said Thelma Mills, co-manager of the 181-unit park at the corner of Pleasant Valley and California 1.

Mills said one woman was asleep in bed when a bullet punctured the metal roof of her mobile home and landed on the pillow next to her head.

Other residents were ignorant of the damage caused by the wayward bullets until rain leaked through the bullet holes, she said.

New Year’s Eve gunfire is a problem in Santa Paula, said Bob Gonzales, Santa Paula Police commander.

Last year, no one was hurt by wayward bullets. But two years ago, a man stepped out of his house and was hit by a stray bullet. Five years ago, a bullet penetrated a child’s skull, Gonzales said. Every year, bullets go through the roofs of houses, he said.

The Santa Paula department will add four to eight officers to its usual staff of four patrol officers, he said. Officials are also publicizing the fact that those caught shooting will go to jail, he said.

Lt. Gary Markely said the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will increase patrols.

The Ventura Police Department will not add to its staff of 25 to 30 officers on patrol between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Simi Valley police have noted isolated incidents of people shooting guns into the air, but said it was not a significant problem. Lt. Don Austin said the department plans to add officers to patrols to handle other potential problems on New Year’s Eve.

In Los Angeles, officials enacted a citywide ban on munitions sales and posted billboards about the danger of firing guns. The Los Angeles Police Department will send teams of officers through neighborhoods to discourage gunplay on New Year’s Eve.

Discharging a weapon in such a manner can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or a felony, Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Kevin McGee said. Maximum penalty of the misdemeanor is one year in County Jail. The maximum penalty for the felony is three years in state prison, McGee said.