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:
Duties
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
Task Forces and Specialized Teams
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 enhance public safety throughout Riverside County by employing both traditional and innovative law enforcement strategies to proactively combat violent and firearm-related crimes, as well as quality-of-life concerns. In collaboration with a range of partner agencies, GIT focuses its investigations on identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting criminal street gang members and violent offenders through coordinated enforcement operations and shared resources.
GIT operates under the supervision of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and includes personnel from multiple agencies: District Attorney Investigators, Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security Investigators, U.S. Border Patrol Agents, Special Services Agents from the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and detectives from the Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Beaumont, Banning, Hemet, and Corona Police Departments.
Public Integrity Unit
The Public Integrity Unit is tasked with investigating and prosecuting elected or appointed public officials who abuse their position of trust for personal gain or who commit criminal offenses related to their official duties.
The Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Lab
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.
Real Estate Fraud Unit
The Riverside County Real Estate Fraud Unit, operated by the District Attorney’s Office, investigates real estate fraud cases throughout the county. The unit focuses on criminal fraud that affects the value, equity, or title of real property, often involving false, forged, or fraudulent documents recorded with the County Recorder’s Office. The unit is entirely funded by fees collected when real estate-related documents are filed with the Recorder’s Office.
Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT)
The Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) is a specialized task force dedicated to targeting and dismantling organized auto theft rings. The task force responds swiftly based on the actions of suspects and utilizes a range of enforcement tactics—including surveillance operations, the execution of search warrants, and other coordinated strategies—to combat auto theft throughout the region.
Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET)
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 Response Team - SRT
The Special Response Team is comprised of highly trained members equipped with specialized tools and weaponry, making them uniquely qualified to manage high-risk situations. SRT responds to a wide range of emergencies, including witness and dignitary protection, security for District Attorney staff and facilities, and the execution of high-risk search warrants. The team also supports other investigative teams by assisting with special operations and projects.
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 Auto-Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID)
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.
Force Investigations Detail (FID)
The Force Investigation Detail (FID) is a task force responsible for conducting criminal investigations into officer-involved shootings within Riverside County. Additionally, FID will investigate certain uses of force and certain in-custody deaths. FID is supervised by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and staffed with DA and Sheriff’s Investigators.
Consumer Fraud
The District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit investigates and prosecutes unfair or dishonest business practices so that consumers get a dollar’s value for their dollar spent.
Organized Retail Theft
The Organized Retail Theft unit works to identify, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks who steal merchandise from retailers for resale.
Cold Case Unit
The Cold Case Unit investigates unsolved homicides and missing persons cases that have been dormant for years.
Environmental Crimes / Hazmat Unit
The environmental crimes and hazmat unit is dedicated to enforcing environmental and workplace safety laws.