Ventura County Sheriff’s Foundation receives donation for new training facility

VENTURA, Calif. - The Ventura County Sheriff's Foundation received a $250,000 donation from the Dr. Richard Grossman Community Foundation that will be used to help design and build a new live fire training facility in Camarillo.

This donation was given in honor of Lane Weitzman, a long-time member of the Ventura community and supporter of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Weitzman was described as a good friend of former Sheriff Geoff Dean as well as a proficient shooter who frequented Dr. Grossman's Brookfield Farms.

“Lane was a wonderful friend of my husband’s. It’s so fitting that the Foundation is able to honor Lane with this donation. Having a resource such as this facility available to all first responders will have a profound impact upon our community. We are so grateful for this opportunity,” said Elizabeth Grossman.

The Sheriff's Foundation is using the donation to help fund a new tactical training center in honor of Sgt. Ron Helus. The center will be built at the existing Sheriff's range in Camarillo.

The new facility will include a live fire "shoot house" named after Mr. Weitzman and will hopefully provide the Ventura County peace officers and their surrounding neighbors with the best training and resources in the country.

The sheriff's office said that Elizabeth Rice Grossman, the President of the Dr. Richard Grossman Community Foundation, worked with David Alpern and Doug Platts of the Sheriff's Foundation to facilitate the donation.

Previously, in July of 2017, the Dr. Richard Grossman Community Foundation donated $750,000 to establish the Dr. Richard Grossman Scholarship Fund for the children of Ventura County Sheriff's Office employees.