[KHTS] – Santa Clarita residents took an opportunity to meet with Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s StationCapt. Roosevelt Johnson and Deputy Jonathan Wilson on Wednesday for Coffee with the Captain.

Coffee with the Captain is a series of meetings Johnson is holding throughout the community as he begins his new role as captain of the station.

Johnson took the helm of the Sheriff’s Station in March, and said he was planning to hold the informal meetings in all eight of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station crime zones.

I’m listening to the community — my goal is to solicit the feedback, and I want to do it in an informal setting,” Johnson said. “The feedback I’ve gotten has been extremely positive.”

Meeting with residents and getting to better know staff were two of the initial goals Johnson listed after taking the reins in March. The Crime Prevention Unit has eight zones the essnetially divvy up the Sheriff’s Station’s 600 square miles of patrol responsibility, along traditional community boundaries.

Johnson has lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for more than two decades.

The next Coffee with the Captain is scheduled for Castaic, with Deputy Brian Rooney, who’s the zone leader for the Castaic-Val Verde area. That meeting will be held at It’s A Grind on Tuesday, April 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Next Thursday, Johnson is scheduled to be a guest on “Neighborhood Watch,” a KHTS AM-1220 radio show on every first and third Thursday of the month that covers the Sheriff’s Station, Nixle reports and crime prevention tips for Santa Clarita Valley residents.

Residents discussed their neighborhood concerns, their Santa Clarita Valley observations and talked for two hours with the two at the Starbucks on Golden Valley Road.

Wilson is a zone leader for Zone 7, which is a zone comprised  of the west side of Canyon Country.

Wilson and Johnson both answered questions, looking to address everything from what’s happening in the various neighborhoods to sharing their backgrounds and duties within their respective roles with the Sheriff’s Department.

Wilson explained the responsibilities of the zone leaders for the station’s Crime Prevention Unit to one resident, before accepting an invite to attend a Canyon Country Advisory Committee meeting.

In addition to patrols and analyzing crime trends, there’s also an outreach component, Wilson said.

“I need the public to not be afraid to call the Sheriff’s Department and give me information on what they have concerns with,” Wilson said, “that way we can address them and try to combat the crime.”