The Number of Local State County and Regional Computer Crime Task Forces Continues to

Senior DA Investigators

Senior DA Investigators (DAI) are granted full peace officer powers pursuant to Section 830.1(a) of the California Penal Code. Essentially this means DAIs have the full powers of arrest like a police officer or deputy sheriff, in addition to having the power of subpoena and to enforce child custody orders from Family Court.

Riverside County DA investigators have the title of "Senior DA Investigator" because of the extensive investigative experience and being awarded with an Intermediate or Advanced Certificate from California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The DAIs of the Bureau of Investigation represent a combined total of more than 3,000 years of law enforcement experience.

Principle Mission and Goals for DA Investigators:

To seek justice for victims and follow the truth

Serve as the law enforcement arm of the District Attorney

Provide investigative support to prosecutors with filed criminal cases able to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court

Task Forces and Specialized Teams

AB-109 Post-Release Accountability Compliance Team

As a result of legislation which went into effect on Oct. 1, 2011, commonly known as Public Safety Realignment, or Assembly Bill 109, offenders convicted of non-serious, non-violent, and non-registerable sex crimes are now being incarcerated in local jails instead of in state prison.

Before realignment, offenders who were released were supervised by state parole agents but now, after realignment, they are on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) by county probation officers. Because of the thousands of prisoners being released early from county jails, local law enforcement agencies created Post-Release Accountability Compliance Teams, or PACT. In Riverside County, the responsibilities of PACT have expanded to not only monitor PRCS releases from state prison but also convicted felons released from county jail on mandatory supervision. A primary mission of PACT is to work with local law enforcement agencies and the Riverside County Probation Department to direct immediate focus on those "high-risk" and/or "at-large" PRCS offenders and those on mandatory supervision from county jail who pose the greatest risk to public safety.

There are three regional Post-Release Accountability Compliance Teams in Riverside County: one each in the Central, Eastern and Western regions. Among those on all three teams are Senior DA Investigators and one Deputy DA.

Cannabis Regulation Task Force (CRTF)

CRTF's mission is to regulate legitimate licensed cannabis dispensaries and conduct criminal investigations into and prosecute non-licensed criminal enterprises engaging in the sales, transportation, cultivation, and production of cannabis and cannabis products.

The Cannabis Regulation Task Force protects properly licensed legal cannabis businesses from unfair business practices and enforces regulatory requirements which protect the environment and consumers.

The aim of the task force is not to shut down legally operating facilities, but rather to ensure fair business practices and keep criminal activity out of the legal cannabis industry and out of our communities. When dispensaries operate without following the law or regulations, their unfair business practices impact those dispensaries which are obeying the law. Illegal or unlicensed dispensaries also may be providing customers with untested and potentially harmful products.

Fugitive Apprehension Unit

The Fugitive Apprehension Unit (FAU) Task Force, which is run under the auspices of the United States Marshal's Service, targets high-risk offenders -- including suspected murderers -- who have outstanding warrants for their arrests. The nature of this assignment and the techniques they use requires the task force members to respond immediately when needed to assist with the potential apprehension of offenders.

Gang Impact Team (GIT)

The mission of the Riverside County Gang Impact Team (GIT) is to make a direct impact on the public safety of Riverside County communities through the use of typical and unconventional law enforcement strategies and tactics to proactively address violent and firearm-related crimes and quality of life issues. Working in conjunction various participating agencies, GIT targets their investigations toward the apprehension and conviction of criminal street gang members and violent offenders through well-coordinated enforcement efforts and resources. GIT is supervised by the Riverside County DA's Bureau of Investigation and staffed with DA Investigators, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agents, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Inspectors, Homeland Security Investigators, U.S. Border Patrol Agents, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation Special Services Agents, Riverside County sheriff investigators, and detectives from the Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Beaumont, Banning, Hemet, and Corona Police Departments.

Inland Regional Corruption Task Force

The Inland Regional Corruption (IRC) Task Force is a multiple jurisdictional task force comprised of several county and federal law enforcement entities that have teamed up to investigate public corruption involving public officials in the Inland Empire. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the lead agency, while the Riverside County District Attorney's Office is providing both investigative and legal support. This task force utilizes both local and federal laws to root out corruption within government entities and prosecute offenders.

The Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Lab

The Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Lab (RCFL) is a one-stop, full-service forensics laboratory and training center devoted entirely to the examination of digital evidence in support of criminal and national security investigations. The FBI provides start-up and operational funding as well as training and equipment, while state, local and other federal law enforcement agencies assign personnel to staff the lab. The Riverside County DA's Office has personnel assigned to this lab. The OCRCFL's service area comprises the Central District of California which includes approximately 250 law enforcement agencies. Services are available to participating agencies which includes local and federal agencies from Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.

The key goals of the RCFL program are: to provide timely, professional and technically advanced digital forensic services to the law enforcement agencies in an RCFL's service area; fully utilize applied science and engineering capabilities to support digital forensic examinations; increase the confidence of investigators, prosecutors, and judges in the digital forensics examination discipline through standardized training and forensic protocols; provide responsive and flexible services in support of diverse investigative programs; and meet legal and administrative requirements of diverse judicial systems.

www.rcfl.gov/orange-county

Real Estate Fraud Task Force

The Riverside County Real Estate Fraud Task Force is operated out of the DA's Office and investigates real estate fraud cases countywide. The task force investigates criminal fraud cases that effect the value or equity of real property and/or the title to real property. Many of those cases involve false, forged, or fraudulent documents recorded at the county Recorder's Office. Task Force members are the DA's Office, and the Cathedral City, Corona, and Murrieta police departments. The Task Force is fully funded by fees collected when documents related to real property are recorded at the county Recorder's Office. Task Force personnel are assigned to the DA's regional offices in Riverside, Indio, and Murrieta.

Riverside Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail

The Riverside Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID) is a task force responsible for pursuing organized auto theft rings. Their work includes immediate responses dictated by the perpetrators' actions and the enforcement technics deployed by the entire task force including surveillance, search warrants, etc.

Riverside County Child Exploitation Team

The Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET) is dedicated to proactively monitoring and tracking registered sex offenders to ensure their compliance with registration requirements, and to protect our children through community education and the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of those who commit Internet crimes against children.

RCCET is also a member of the San Diego ICAC Task Force. There are 61 regional ICAC Task Forces nationwide which are funded by the United States Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ICAC Task Forces were developed in response to an increasing number of children and teens using the Internet, the abundance of online child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with underage children.

RCCET is supervised by the Riverside County DA's Bureau of Investigation and staffed with DA Investigators, Federal Bureau of Investigation Agents, Homeland Security Investigators, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation Special Services Agents, Riverside County Sheriff Investigators, and Detectives from the Beaumont, Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, Menifee, Murrieta, and Riverside Police Departments.

Special Activity Unit

The Special Activity Unit, Ready-Response Team (SAU) members have specialized training, tools and weaponry which makes them uniquely qualified to handle high-risk situations. SAU handles any emergency situation that might evolve including witness and dignitary protection details, security details involving DA staff and DA facilities as well as high-risk search warrants. They are also tasked with special projects that augment other Bureau investigative units such as the Gang Impact Team, SAFE Task Force, and Fugitive Apprehension Team. SAU members also provide tactical and firearms training for the remainder of the Bureau.

Workers' Compensation Fraud

The Workers' Compensation Fraud Unit identifies, investigates, and prosecutes workers' compensation fraud. This crime – which is committed by doctors, lawyers, employers, insurance company employees and claimants – occurs in both the private and public sectors. The Workers' Compensation Fraud Unit partners with investigators from the Department of Insurance to identify and combat workers' compensation fraud.

The most common types of Workers' Compensation Fraud include:

Provider Fraud
Regardless of the legitimacy of the original claim, many medical or other health practitioners fraudulently maximize the number of medical reports and referrals in each case to increase the number of billings. They may also over bill or render unnecessary treatment.

Premium Fraud
Premium fraud occurs when employers fraudulently misstate the number of employees or the nature of their work, such as reporting a roofer as an office worker. Other businesses are part of the "underground economy" and carry no workers' compensation insurance. Under California law, the Workers' Compensation Fraud Unit prosecutes the uninsured employer, and investigators in the Unit have a proactive compliance program where businesses are contacted and asked to provide proof of insurance. Applicant Fraud
These cases involve workers who fake an injury, lie about the extent of their injury, lie by denying filing previous claims, fail to disclose a prior injury to the same body part, claim a non-work injury is work related, or illegally work while obtaining benefits. Sub rosa surveillance tapes regularly expose applicants who are fraudulent.

Automobile Insurance Fraud

It is estimated that automobile insurance fraud results in losses in excess of $8 billion a year. Automobile insurance fraud hurts more than just the insurance company which is being defrauded. The losses are passed on to consumers in the form of higher insurance premiums, and thus everyone bears the financial burden. When fraud artists resort to staged accidents or other dangerous tactics, the safety of everyone on the road can be jeopardized by their crimes.

The District Attorney's Office recognizes that with the growing sophistication of automobile insurance fraud rings, an equally sophisticated and aggressive law enforcement effort is required to combat them. The District Attorney's Office has established an Automobile Insurance Fraud Unit with specially trained staff to investigate and prosecute this costly criminal activity, which can include:

Staged accidents
So Called "paper" accidents which never actually occurred
Medical treatment fraud
Fraudulent claims by auto body repair shops
Fraud involving the issuance of insurance policies or processing of claims
Feigned or staged automobile thefts

Disability and Healthcare Insurance Fraud Program

Health insurance fraud is a significant problem for health insurance policyholders because it drains resources out of the system causing unnecessary premium increases. California Insurance Code Section 1872.85(a) provides funding for the Disability and Healthcare Fraud Program through annual special purpose assessment to be determined by the Commissioner: not to exceed 20 cents ($0.20) for each insured person in California who is covered by an individual or group insurance policy it issues. This funding supports criminal investigations statewide by district attorneys.

This program area includes suspected fraudulent claims involving: claimant disability other than workers' compensation, dental claims, billing fraud schemes, immunization fraud, unlawful solicitation, durable medical equipment, and posing as another to obtain benefits.

Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force

The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force seeks to disrupt and dismantle sex trafficking rings operating within Riverside County and will aggressively identify, pursue, and apprehend those who seek to exploit those who are most vulnerable.

The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force was formed in 2010 to address crimes involving the exploitation of victims via force, fraud, or coercion. These cases often involve the commercial sex trafficking of children, as well as incidents of forced labor, indentured servitude, debt bondage, or slavery. The RCAHT Task Force is a multidisciplinary task force that combines the investigative resources of both local and federal law enforcement. The RCAHT Task Force also provides victim services and education/outreach through partnerships with the non-profit groups Operation SafeHouse, Rebirth Homes, and Million Kids. The law enforcement component of RCAHT is currently composed of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Riverside County Probation Department, along with part-time participation of the Hemet Police Department, Riverside Police Department, and Desert Hot Springs Police Department.

Duties of a DAI Include:

Conducting trial preparation case work and criminal investigations
Collecting and handling evidence
Assist and liaison with local, state and federal law enforcement partners
Preparing and executing search warrants and arrest warrants
Locating, serving, and transporting reluctant or hostile witnesses
Performing specialized investigations (Real Estate, Consumer and Insurance Fraud, Environmental Crimes, Parental Abductions, Political Corruption)
Undertaking other law enforcement or Task Force assignments

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Source: https://rivcoda.org/bureau-of-investigation/assignments-and-task-forces