Homicide, assault and other violence
Crime scene cleanup in Oxnard
Detectives collect evidence. They do not put the home back. When Oxnard Police or the Sheriff hand over the keys, what is left is yours to deal with, and a trauma cleanup company exists for exactly that.
Phone answered 24/7, day and night
In order
From release to a usable room
The scene is released
The investigating agency tells you, or the property owner, that it has finished. Ask the detective directly if you are unsure. Until then nothing should be moved, wiped or thrown out.
You describe it by phone
Which rooms, what surfaces, whether there is fingerprint powder or damage from forced entry. A photo taken from the doorway is enough; you do not need to walk in.
The company inspects and prices the job
Blood travels under baseboards, into carpet pad and through gaps in flooring, so the true extent is often larger than it looks. Expect a written scope before work begins.
Removal and disinfection
Anything porous that was soaked is cut out and sealed in containers. Hard surfaces are cleaned, disinfected and checked again.
Waste leaves with them
California law has trauma scene waste taken off the property when removal is finished and delivered to a permitted medical waste facility (Health and Safety Code 118321.5). You should not be left with bags.
Compensation
When the state may repay the cleanup
The California Victim Compensation Board, CalVCB, lists crime scene cleanup among the costs it can reimburse when the crime took place in a residence or a vehicle. Its page for cleanup providers sets out two conditions that matter before you hire anyone.
- The work has to be done by a company registered with the California Department of Public Health as a trauma scene waste management practitioner.
- The Board pays for removing biohazard material. It does not pay to replace damaged belongings, flooring or furniture.
CalVCB describes itself as a payor of last resort, so insurance is looked at first. Whoever pays, or takes on the bill, may be the one to claim. In Ventura County the District Attorney's Crime Victims Assistance Unit helps with the application: (805) 654-3622.
Before you agree
Three things to ask the company
Your registered name?
Then find it on the state practitioner list. A match protects a later CalVCB claim.
What will be removed?
Carpet, pad, drywall, a mattress. Know what is going so you can photograph it for an insurer first.
What will I get in writing?
An itemized invoice and a record of the waste disposal are the two documents insurers and CalVCB tend to want.
Ready when the home is
Hold off until the police and the Medical Examiner's investigator are done with the property. After that, a single call puts a cleanup firm from the Oxnard area on the phone with you. Nothing gets booked unless you say so.
Talk it over with a cleanup company
Begin wherever you like. The story does not have to come out in order, and you may hang up whenever you want.
Call (805) 946-0050Phone answered 24/7, day and night
Your call may be recorded. Read how we are paid and what we keep.