By David Courtland and Carlos Garcia
On the morning of November 13, 2014, Labh Nigah, an immigrant from India who worked multiple jobs as a cashier to support his family, finished walking his son to Sierra Linda Elementary School and was walking through adjacent Sierra Linda Park when he was ambushed and stabbed multiple times.
Although investigators collected DNA evidence at the scene, the profile did not match anyone in federal databases and the case went cold for over 11 years.
“It was especially disturbing, one of those cases that makes you say, we’ve got to solve this one,” Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites said to VIDA Newspaper on Monday, November 2, 2026. Benites, whose 33rd anniversary with the department was Sunday, November 1, 2026 officially retired on Wednesday, November 3, 2026.
With the help of the FBI’s genealogy task force, which traced relatives in Houston, Texas, and Ventura County, on April 2 the Oxnard Police Department and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jose Antonio Jimenez just blocks from the crime scene.
“Jimenez, 32, has been accused and charged with murder with special allegations for use of a deadly weapon, great violence, and targeting a vulnerable victim,” said Benites.
Benites recalled the DNA-based case as he described other examples of how technology has changed and improved in the department during his career.
During that time the department has gone from depending on written communication to using email and mobile data computers.
“When I first started this job in 1993, we didn’t have much equipment,” Benites said. “We had basic radio, we did not have tasers; essentially we had a baton, pepper spray and a firearm.”
Officers depended on Thomas Guides to get them to calls and were told that if they needed to call the dispatcher to find a payphone and call 911.
“We didn’t have body cameras or license plate readers, so we’ve made great strides in technology – it’s very different in that regard,” said Benites.
Besides getting a modern radio communications system that is part of a countywide digital network, the department’s the use of drones is one of the achievements Benites is proudest of.
“It’s a tremendous improvement in safety,” Benites said. “The drone gets to a call ahead of ground units, it’s a huge safety upgrade for responding officers.”
The department is ahead of many others in its use of drones, but has also been a leader in community policing, a proactive law enforcement philosophy that builds public partnerships and focuses on root-cause problem-solving instead of strictly reactive enforcement.
“When I first came to Oxnard the thing that stood out was community policing,” said Benites, who credited the department with leading the charge in the concept. “We’ve refined it over the years; we’ve been on a pretty good course with that.”
Among community policing efforts during Benites’ tenure as chief have been stakeholders meetings with residents about federal officers or ICE coming to Oxnard and detaining people.
Benites says state law prevents officers from helping federal agents, but people at first expected officers to intervene.
“One of our challenges was to explain the rule of law,” said Benites, explaining that officers often found themselves caught between ICE and detainees.
“Whether people like it or not, these are the laws – it’s hard to explain that to our public,” said Benites, adding that officers were “getting clobbered” at stakeholders meetings.
But the department and residents have made a lot of progress in getting the meetings focused on helping people who are affected by the detentions, said Benites.
Even so the department has taken a big hit in the public’s trust because of the detentions, something Benites said the department will work hard to build back up.
“What’s happened is that from 2024 to 2025 we had a significant decline in calls for service,” said Benites. “People are still apprehensive to talk to the police department.”
Asked if there were particular supervisors or mentors he had over the years that he looked up to, Benites said there were actually several people he is indebted to.
“Commander Bob Elder, we spent a lot of late nights early in my career discussing community policing,” said Benites. “Chief Art Lopez gave me a lot of opportunities to show what I could do.”
Others included Chief John Crombach, who promoted Benites to assistant chief, Chief Jeri Williams, Assistant Chief Charles Hookstra and Assistant Chief Tom Cady, who is Benites’ father-in-law.
Finally Benites credited Officer Steve Noguera, the first Oxnard police officer he met in 1992, with his decision to join the department.
“I did a ride along with him and based on how he worked, it pretty much cemented my decision to join Oxnard PD,” Benites said.
But Benites said what he would miss most about the job is the daily banter and problem solving with other people in the department.
“No two days are exactly the same in this job,” said Benites. “I will miss people who have been our supporters and our critics but who have genuinely wanted to make Oxnard a better and safer place to live. That’s what I’ll miss the most.”