Senior Officer Knapp was born in New Jersey and his family moved to Southern California before his first birthday. He grew up in Westlake Village and earned his B.A. in Child Development and Psychology from C.S.U.N. He married his wife and purchased his first home in Oxnard in 1992. Before aspiring for a career in law enforcement, Paul worked as a manager for several Bob’s Big Boy and Coco’s restaurants, as well as a shipwright repairing boats in the Channel Islands Harbor.
What inspired him to become a police officer? He remembers, “My father-in-law was a police officer in Los Angeles and introduced me to the career. I used to go out on community events and help paint out graffiti with his department. I began working for Oxnard P.D. as a Traffic Cadet in January of 1996. In June of that year, I was hired on as an officer and was sent to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Academy.
”Over his 25-year career with our department, Sr. Officer Knapp has worked a wide variety of assignments, including: Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, General Assignment Detective, Robbery/Major Assault Detective, Bike team, Dive team, Beat Coordinator, and he is currently a Traffic Collision Investigator in our Traffic Unit. He says, “I always loved working patrol, especially as a Field Training Officer. Patrol is exciting and different every day. I also loved training new officers and working with them as they continue on their careers. My favorite aspect of this job is the diversity. We have a chance at working in numerous different assignments. I have worked here for 25 years and I still consistently have new experiences and meet new people.
”On days off, Paul loves to relax, walk, hike, and spend time with his family. He has six children, three of which are adopted. He says that the adoptions were some of the best things that ever happened to him. Two of those children have given him four grandchildren with another one on the way: any day now! His daughter Summer currently lives in Italy with her twin 3-year-olds and her husband, who works for the Italian Caribinieri (Italian law enforcement). His passion outside of law enforcement is scuba diving. He learned to dive through the police department as a technical diver. He has since been able to dive in places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Grenada, Aruba, our own beautiful Channel Islands, and he soon will be diving in Fiji!