Sheriff's Non-Emergency Dispatch: 714-647-7000 or 949-770-6011

Lieutenant Bob Osborne Chief of Police Services City of Aliso Viejo 949-425-2561

City of Aliso Viejo Overview

The Spaniards founded nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1776, and ruled the region until 1782, when California became Mexican territory and was divided into several large ranchos. During this period, the area was used primarily as a sheep ranch. In 1842, the Mexican government granted the land to Juan Avila, and in 1848 the Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty was signed, making California a territory of the United States.

In 1890, the Moulton family took title to approximately 22,000 acres of land, naming the area Moulton Ranch. Over the years, portions of the ranch were sold and became Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, and Leisure World (now part of Laguna Woods). Development of the private retirement community of Leisure World began in the early 1960s on 2,095 acres of the Moulton Ranch just north of the current City.

In 1976, the Mission Viejo Company purchased the last remaining 6,600 acres of the Moulton Ranch, located adjacent to Laguna Beach, just west of Mission Viejo. The Company then drew up plans for a 20,000 unit master-planned community named Aliso Viejo. The master plan was designed to meet the needs of a broad range of new home buyers, but also called for a delicate balance of retail and open space, resulting in a community where people really can live, work and play in the same place.

In 1979, the County of Orange approved the Aliso Viejo Planned Community development plan, and the first residential units were offered for sale in March 1982. The first residents moved in that November. In February of 1995, a Self-Governance Subcommittee of the Governmental Affairs committee of the Aliso Viejo Community Association (AVCA) began pushing to make Aliso Viejo a city. AVCA is the first community-wide property owners’ association of its kind in California, operating in many ways like a city government, with the authority and ability to provide municipal services funded through residential and commercial property assessments.

In October 1997, the Self-Governance Subcommittee broke away from AVCA and became “Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000.” The goal of this organization was to free the community from County governance. In March 1999, Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000 kicked off a petition drive to put the question of incorporation to a community vote.

In March 2001, voters went to the polls and chose to make Aliso Viejo the 34th city in Orange County. The city officially incorporated on July 1, 2001. Residents and community leaders gathered that day under tents and along the steps of Grand Park’s amphitheater for the inaugural City Council meeting.

Aliso Viejo was the first planned community in California to provide a balance between its estimated 22,000 on-site jobs and its resident workforce. The City is approximately 7.5 square miles and the city population is just over 48,000 people. All residents live within 2.5 miles of the Aliso Viejo Town Center, the focal point of the City. This “downtown” provides over 800,000 square feet of retail shops and stores, restaurants and medical offices. The City is also home to a Jack Nicklaus designed Golf Course and Soka University, a 100-acre private four year liberal arts and graduate institution which opened in the Fall of 2001.

The City of Aliso Viejo is governed by a five member City Council; one of the duties is oversight of almost one billion dollars of development almost complete near Enterprise and Aliso Viejo Parkway. In July of 2008, the new Marriott Renaissance Sports Club with 176 rooms and containing over 67,000 square foot state of the art fitness and sports club opened. With collaboration between the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, additionally there will be new innovative live/work residential units. Please visit the city website at http://www.cityofalisoviejo.com/.

Message From The Chief of Police Services

On April 10, 2009, I was honored and privileged to be selected as the Chief of Police Services for the City of Aliso Viejo. Police Services for the City of Aliso Viejo are provided on a contract basis by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for all general law enforcement and has been an exceptional law enforcement agency since 1889. Our current staffing levels include one lieutenant, three sergeant positions, 18 patrol/traffic deputy positions, two investigator positions, one half of one investigative assistant position, two community services officers, one crime prevention specialist, one half of one emergency management program coordinator, and a variety of regional support services.

Other services the Sheriff’s Department offers the City is a Special Enforcement Team, a patrol-based team of two deputy sheriffs assigned to the same patrol vehicle who address special patrol related problems and issues. Additionally, the City contributes a deputy to the Regional Directed Enforcement Team, an investigation-based surveillance and support team tackling problems on a regional basis. This innovative cost-sharing strategy lowers the cost to each city yet provides much needed directed enforcement. I am honored to work in the City of Aliso Viejo and proud of all the men and women in our police services staff.

We have an outstanding Crime Prevention program that is operated by our Crime Prevention Specialist Margo Beauchamp. Margo conducts child car seat inspections, bicycle safety rodeos, and oversees our Neighborhood Watch Program. While we have almost 50 Neighborhood Watch Groups, we encourage you to contact Margo at 949-425-2563 or you can e-mail her at mbeauchamp@cityofalisoviejo.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange a Neighborhood Watch in your neighborhood.

Police Services has implemented a volunteer services group called the Police Assistance Liaison Service, or PALS. This volunteer group of citizens has assisted Police Services in a variety of non-critical services such as Neighborhood, Business and Park Watch, special events in our schools, and in our community, and they make vacation home checks. Keep an eye out for these volunteers as they assist us in our daily duties.

With the support of the Aliso Viejo City Council, our city staff partners with the residents and merchants of Aliso Viejo, on behalf of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, my pledge to you is that the men and women of Aliso Viejo Police Services will continue to provide a service here in our city where the quality of life is high and the future is bright.

Lieutenant Bob Osborne
Orange County Sheriff’s Department
Chief of Police Services
City of Aliso Viejo
rosborne@ocsd.org
949-425-2561