In the first week of October, Community West Bank in partnership with local law enforcement and ShredRite helped 485 residents from Santa Maria to Westlake Village shred 16,061 pounds of paper as part of the annual identity theft protection and shredding event.

Thousands of personal and business documents such as bank statements, tax forms and old checks were safely and securely destroyed on site using high-volume, truck-mounted shredders provided by ShredRite.

Additionally, local law enforcement officers from the Santa Maria Police Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office provided identity theft and fraud protection information.

“Since beginning this community event in 2005, Community West Bank and its partners have shredded over 70,000 pounds of personal documents,” said Lynda Nahra, president and CEO of Community West Bank. “Safely shredding personal papers is an important first step all of us should take to protect ourselves from identity theft and fraud.”

Click here to view Community West Bank’s online identity theft prevention video. Click on the Education Center “click & learn” button on the home page.

— Lynnette Coverly is the vice president of marketing for Community West Bank.