MOORPARK : New Leader Named for Sheriff’s Unit

Moorpark will have a new head for its police force beginning Monday, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Lt. Geoff Dean will replace Lt. Richard Rodriguez, who has overseen the Moorpark sheriff’s unit since November, 1988. Such shifts occur about every three years, Dean said.

Rodriguez’s new assignment is to the personnel department at the Ventura headquarters, where he will head the internal affairs division.

Dean, 34, currently oversees the Thousand Oaks traffic bureau, the county’s 25-member SWAT team and the East Valley station’s records department.

A 13-year veteran of the department, Dean’s previous duties have included service as a watch commander in Thousand Oaks and sergeant in charge of the county jail.

A native of Los Angeles who grew up in Simi Valley, Dean has lived in Moorpark for five years. But he will spend the first few months of his new job trying to get to know the city better, he said.

As head of the Moorpark sheriff’s unit, Dean will oversee a staff of 19, including 17 officers.

Rodriguez said that during his tenure, the staff grew by three.

His time in Moorpark offered him a better understanding of how city government works, Rodriguez said. The head of the sheriff’s unit sits in on all City Council meetings.