I would like to sincereley thank everyone that helped me in my goals to gain experience in law enforcement at the California Department of Insurance Fraud. From day one, the office courteous and friendly to me. They immediately gave me opportunities to show me what a career in law enforcement is like. Detectives took their time to explain the process as I watched. I have wanted to join law enforcement for a long time now and my time with the department has only encouraged that desire. The close family atmosphere is exactly what I was hoping to experience through law enforcement. Witnessing the level of professionalism and enjoyment the detectives found in their careers gives me something to look forward to as i enter this career. I believe they internship has helped me become better prepared to pursue a career in Law Enforcement.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Accomplishments
My original goals were:
My three goals for this internship are;
1. Gain experience in the career field of law enforcement
- This area has definitely been accomplished through my time at the academy. During the internship i have gone one two search warrants and multiple suspect interviews. I got to see the investigative aspect of law enforcement. I got to the see the interaction of officers and individuals involved in their investigation. Being in the academy, I am learning proper officer training tactics and procedures and was able to watch similar tactics be performed by the detectives in real situations.
2. Learn and understand how an investigation is operated from start to finish
- I feel I have learned a lot about this procedure as it pertains to insurance fraud investigations. It starts with an insurance claim being investigated by special investigators who are not sworn peace officers. They lay out the case as best they can and then send it to the CDI to determine if there is enough evidence to pursue an arrest. The detectives then follow the leads and interview all those involved. Sometimes a case will go to the DA and sometimes they detectives determine there is not enough evidence to pursue an arrest.
3. Learn how different departments work together within the Justice System such as different law enforcement agencies and the District Attorneys office.
- The realtionship i witnessed between the CDI and the DA's office was interesting to say the least. The Deputy DA assigned to help the insurance fraud detectives I worked with was incapable according to the office talk. The relationship was a tense one in that the detectives were not happy but at the end of the day they did the job to the best of their ability and made it work. I learned not everyone will get along or work together well abut at the end of the day the end of the day is to put criminals away.
CDI Strengths
The major strength of this organization is the vast area that it covers. The department is spread out to cover all of California an yet the departments still communicate efficiently. The other week, a detective from the sacramento branch spent the week in southern California and was able to work his case out of the local office there with the help of detectives from that branch. It just showed me how although hundreds of miles apart, each branch functions together as one unit to accomplish the mission of the department.
If I were in charge of the an organization similar to CDI, I would focus more on employee retention and training. One major issue with law enforcement agencies is lack of funding for training once peace officers get out of a basic academy. Officers go through a rigorous academy to get into the career but then do not et much training after. Driving skills are retrained only twice a year for a majority of departments yet car accidents account for almost 40 percent of officer deaths a year. There are many other areas of training that get overlooked because of funding. I would allocate more funds to training to keep the officers within my organization up to date on current tactics.
If I were in charge of the an organization similar to CDI, I would focus more on employee retention and training. One major issue with law enforcement agencies is lack of funding for training once peace officers get out of a basic academy. Officers go through a rigorous academy to get into the career but then do not et much training after. Driving skills are retrained only twice a year for a majority of departments yet car accidents account for almost 40 percent of officer deaths a year. There are many other areas of training that get overlooked because of funding. I would allocate more funds to training to keep the officers within my organization up to date on current tactics.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The Holidays
The CDI gets holidays off which allowed me to spend extra time with my family this year. For thanksgiving I went to my Girlfriend's family for dinner which is the first time I have been to any other thanksgiving dinner that was not with my family. My family spent this year in San Diego because my little brother had a soccer tournament so it was unavoidable. I would say it was a pretty good day I mean there was turkey, pumpkin pie, football, and favorable beverages, there was plenty to be thankful for. I look forward to Christmas and the new years celebration as well. With my current schedule I don't get as much time as I would like to spend with my family. The holidays are a good remedy for that. Spending time with my family is rejuvenating for me and a reminder of why I am working so hard to get where I want to be.
Free Write- Tempe
My internship has brought me back to my hometown of Sacramento, CA. It had been just about a year since I have been back to Tempe. I can honestly say I miss living in Tempe. I know many Californians that move to Arizona don't always share my opinion due to the weather but I grew accustomed to the heat, or at least how to handle it. It has brought thoughts of possibly moving back to Arizona some day in the future. But I begin to think what about Tempe do I miss. I know I miss my friends for one. Although I am in contact with a lot of my friends I met as a Sundevil, a majority of them have also left Tempe in search of careers. Another aspect I miss is the town atmosphere. My experience in Tempe was a that of friendly people and not much worrying about violence when out in public. Sacramento is not the same any aspect. Sacramento is better compared to phoenix in that it is congested and diverse, not everyone if friendly and helpful, and going out in public reminds me that I should be aware of my surroundings in certain areas. I think when its comes down to it I miss the college town atmosphere and the experience I had living in Tempe. I look forward to going back for a visit soon to see friends and catch a football game, hopefully when the team starts playing better though....
Free write - Memorial destruction
I am a little behind on posts due to the craziness of the last couple months so I will be posting a few extra posts. The first topic that came to mind was a very frustrating incident that happened back in October.
On Friday, October 27 2006 Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Mitchell was shot and killed during a vehicle stop. The offender was never caught and the murder investigation is still open. Deputy Mitchell gave his life attempting to make Sacramento county a safer place to live. The ultimate public service in my opinion. In honor of sacrifice, a memorial was built in his name near his place of death which included an American flag and bench area.
This past October only a week before the memorial of his death, his memorial site was destroyed. The bench was uprooted and the flag destroyed. I'm not sure what kind of person does such a thing. I can't really put my feeling about the incident into words but they would bot be pleasant words if I could. I donated to the cause of rebuilding and improving the memorial before the anniversary of his memorial and was happy to hear the wife and son of Deputy Mitchell were pleased with the new memorial.
I don't really know the purpose of this post other than as I continue my pursuit of joining a law enforcement agency I am reminded of the family atmosphere of the job and how even officers who have never met each other would do whatever needed to look out for one another.
Fallen But Not Forgotten.
On Friday, October 27 2006 Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Mitchell was shot and killed during a vehicle stop. The offender was never caught and the murder investigation is still open. Deputy Mitchell gave his life attempting to make Sacramento county a safer place to live. The ultimate public service in my opinion. In honor of sacrifice, a memorial was built in his name near his place of death which included an American flag and bench area.
This past October only a week before the memorial of his death, his memorial site was destroyed. The bench was uprooted and the flag destroyed. I'm not sure what kind of person does such a thing. I can't really put my feeling about the incident into words but they would bot be pleasant words if I could. I donated to the cause of rebuilding and improving the memorial before the anniversary of his memorial and was happy to hear the wife and son of Deputy Mitchell were pleased with the new memorial.
I don't really know the purpose of this post other than as I continue my pursuit of joining a law enforcement agency I am reminded of the family atmosphere of the job and how even officers who have never met each other would do whatever needed to look out for one another.
Fallen But Not Forgotten.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Report Writing
I am quickly learning that one of the most important tasks in law enforcement is writing a good report. Report writing is not something most people thin about when they think about a career in law enforcement. Every case or call a peace officer works must be properly and thoroughly documented. Reports that are done poorly can lead to violent offenders being freed and released back into the population, civil law suits against counties or police agencies, and even prosecution of officers if information was reported falsely on documentation.
A peace officer is responsible for being as detailed as possible in his reports including the times and locations of events, accurate reporting of statements taken, observations of the scene or injuries if relevant. Police reports need to be accurate and thorough because it could be years before the officer is called to a stand to testify on a case and the only thing he has to remember the incident is the report he wrote. Another reason reports are so important is that they document the justification of an officers actions. If an officer is going to arrest someone and in essence remove their freedom by taking them into custody, the officer must properly document the probable cause that lead to the arrest. The same goes for if an officer uses force on ay suspect. You wouldn't be able to just write "during a conversation with john doe, I placed him in handcuffs to talk to him." If you were to read this statement you would have no idea why the officer believed it was necessary to place the individual in handcuffs. To be more efficient you would say something like "during my conversation with John Doe about a recent robbery involving a knife that had just occurred in the area by a man matching his description, Doe began to shift his body weight and clench his fists as if he was ready to fight. For my safety as well as that of Doe, I placed him in handcuffs to detain him to search for weapons and for further investigation of the robbery.' The amount of detail in both statements is noticeably different. You know exactly what happened and why the officer took the actions he took.
In summary, to be a good peace officer one must possess excellent writing skills in order to properly perform his/her duties.
A peace officer is responsible for being as detailed as possible in his reports including the times and locations of events, accurate reporting of statements taken, observations of the scene or injuries if relevant. Police reports need to be accurate and thorough because it could be years before the officer is called to a stand to testify on a case and the only thing he has to remember the incident is the report he wrote. Another reason reports are so important is that they document the justification of an officers actions. If an officer is going to arrest someone and in essence remove their freedom by taking them into custody, the officer must properly document the probable cause that lead to the arrest. The same goes for if an officer uses force on ay suspect. You wouldn't be able to just write "during a conversation with john doe, I placed him in handcuffs to talk to him." If you were to read this statement you would have no idea why the officer believed it was necessary to place the individual in handcuffs. To be more efficient you would say something like "during my conversation with John Doe about a recent robbery involving a knife that had just occurred in the area by a man matching his description, Doe began to shift his body weight and clench his fists as if he was ready to fight. For my safety as well as that of Doe, I placed him in handcuffs to detain him to search for weapons and for further investigation of the robbery.' The amount of detail in both statements is noticeably different. You know exactly what happened and why the officer took the actions he took.
In summary, to be a good peace officer one must possess excellent writing skills in order to properly perform his/her duties.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Why I want to be Join Law Enforcement
Being in an academy, I am constantly asked and instructed to remember why I want to be in law enforcement. The first reason would be the obvious choice in that I like to help people. I was raised by a family that believes if you have the means to help someone, you should. Not for a reward or a favor in return but because it is the right thing to do. Now I know I won't be able to help everyone I deal with on the job but helping even one person who needed help is worth it to me.
Another reason I want to join this career field is my family. Now I do not have a whole lot of family in law enforcement but those that are have helped in my decision but it is my family members that are not in law enforcement that really influenced me. I am aware that bad things can happen to the best of people because there are bad people out there willing to hurt good people. I know that is a broad statement and the typical "I want to catch bad guys" speech you would normally here but its true. I want to do my part in taking those that have no regard for the rest of society off the streets and put away so they can get any help they may need to become better themselves or just stay isolated away from the rest of the populace, especially my family.
Speaking of family leads me to my next reason and the last I'll talk about, the family atmosphere and teamwork of law enforcement. When you work an extremely stressful job were at times your life is in danger and your depend on you coworkers to make sure you get home every night, a pretty strong bond is formed. Growing up playing soccer, I have been part of a team my whole life. I wanted a career that would allow me to continue being part of a team in which I could depend on others who could depend on me as well. This type of atmosphere helps drive you to get better and be better. I am a pretty loyal person and there isn't much I wouldn't do to help my family and friends.
These three reasons are only three reason I would like to join law enforcement. There are many other reasons that are a little more selfish like driving a car with sirens, chasing people, good benefits, and all the cool gear. Those are perks to look forward to but I wouldn't be honest if I said I wasn't thinking of them.
Another reason I want to join this career field is my family. Now I do not have a whole lot of family in law enforcement but those that are have helped in my decision but it is my family members that are not in law enforcement that really influenced me. I am aware that bad things can happen to the best of people because there are bad people out there willing to hurt good people. I know that is a broad statement and the typical "I want to catch bad guys" speech you would normally here but its true. I want to do my part in taking those that have no regard for the rest of society off the streets and put away so they can get any help they may need to become better themselves or just stay isolated away from the rest of the populace, especially my family.
Speaking of family leads me to my next reason and the last I'll talk about, the family atmosphere and teamwork of law enforcement. When you work an extremely stressful job were at times your life is in danger and your depend on you coworkers to make sure you get home every night, a pretty strong bond is formed. Growing up playing soccer, I have been part of a team my whole life. I wanted a career that would allow me to continue being part of a team in which I could depend on others who could depend on me as well. This type of atmosphere helps drive you to get better and be better. I am a pretty loyal person and there isn't much I wouldn't do to help my family and friends.
These three reasons are only three reason I would like to join law enforcement. There are many other reasons that are a little more selfish like driving a car with sirens, chasing people, good benefits, and all the cool gear. Those are perks to look forward to but I wouldn't be honest if I said I wasn't thinking of them.
District Attorney's office
On of the things I have noticed during my internship is the fragile but important relationship between law enforcement and the DA's office. Sacramento county is backed up in case work and the DA's office wither not taking certain cases or pleading out with almost no punishment for certain offenders. This pertains to the insurance fraud division as well. Because there are so many cases of insurance fraud, not all cases are pursued and people simply get away with it. Putting it as simple as possible I would say that as long as a person doesn't commit a major case of insurance fraud they will not be prosecuted and even then some of the larger cases are turned down because the DA will say there is not enough evidence. There have been incidents where detectives have been working a case for a over a month and believe they have all the evidence they need to make an arrest and the DA will deny a warrant request because the case wouldn't be an "easy" win. Now I say these things based on my perspective of listening to the detectives. I do not believe the DAs are just looking for easy wins to boost their resume, I believe the issue again lies in the amount of cases that are being tried and the courts being backed up. To be cost efficient with the budget, only bigger cases with strong evidence are being considered for pursuit.
Part of my duties as an intern is too look over fraud claims sent in from Insurance companies. reading through the claims I am able to tell which claims the department will be able to pursue and which will be turned down due to the amount of loss related to the claim, no injuries, or lack of evidence to investigate.
Too many criminals, not enough good guys.
Part of my duties as an intern is too look over fraud claims sent in from Insurance companies. reading through the claims I am able to tell which claims the department will be able to pursue and which will be turned down due to the amount of loss related to the claim, no injuries, or lack of evidence to investigate.
Too many criminals, not enough good guys.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Down Time
When I first started the internship I was lucky enough to join when there were multiple field operations I could help with such as the search warrants. The last couple of weeks have been a little slower around the office as the detectives wait to chase a new lead or gather more information. Usually this allows me the down time to catch up on other assignments such as creating evidence boxes and writing "fake" reports off of cases that aren't being worked yet.
If it gets really slow I try and ask the detectives to fill me on one of their cases that they are working and listen to how they plan on pursuing it and if they think they can get a conviction or not. I was surprised to find that there are quite a few cases in which a detective and his/her partners will spend a lot of time investigating just to have the case rejected by a District attorney or not even reported to the district attorney cause there was not enough information or evidence gathered to make an arrest. This doesn't happen because the detectives did anything wrong but simply there wasn't enough evidence to prove anything. It is not like the television shows where they catch the suspects almost every time or find some sort of evidence with every lead they follow. A majority of the work being done is from a desk or a phone.
If it gets really slow I try and ask the detectives to fill me on one of their cases that they are working and listen to how they plan on pursuing it and if they think they can get a conviction or not. I was surprised to find that there are quite a few cases in which a detective and his/her partners will spend a lot of time investigating just to have the case rejected by a District attorney or not even reported to the district attorney cause there was not enough information or evidence gathered to make an arrest. This doesn't happen because the detectives did anything wrong but simply there wasn't enough evidence to prove anything. It is not like the television shows where they catch the suspects almost every time or find some sort of evidence with every lead they follow. A majority of the work being done is from a desk or a phone.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Leadership
How does leadership play a role in your internship? How do your co-workers or supervisor display leadership capabilities?
Leadership plays a major role in my internship. Being in law enforcement, following the chain of command is extremely important. Within my departments, the clear leadership is those of higher ranks that the lower ranks report too. The Captain oversees the sergeants and makes sure that they are performing their duties as well as provide any assistance they may need to properly perform their duties. The sergeants perform the same leadership duties in essence but have less individuals under their command.But even the lower level detectives must portray leadership in their duties. When working their cases they portray their leadership abilities through communicating with outside agencies such as the DA. They have to coordinate with suspects and witnesses to properly gather all the proper information to prosecute the case. Anyone within law enforcement is required to posses basic leadership skills to perform their duties properly.
Are you able to demonstrate any leadership skills?
I am able to show a small amount of leadership in the performance of my duties. When given an assignment, I sometimes have to work with others on completing the assignment. Communicating properly to others what I need from them and how they can help accomplish my assignment.
Leadership plays a major role in my internship. Being in law enforcement, following the chain of command is extremely important. Within my departments, the clear leadership is those of higher ranks that the lower ranks report too. The Captain oversees the sergeants and makes sure that they are performing their duties as well as provide any assistance they may need to properly perform their duties. The sergeants perform the same leadership duties in essence but have less individuals under their command.But even the lower level detectives must portray leadership in their duties. When working their cases they portray their leadership abilities through communicating with outside agencies such as the DA. They have to coordinate with suspects and witnesses to properly gather all the proper information to prosecute the case. Anyone within law enforcement is required to posses basic leadership skills to perform their duties properly.
Are you able to demonstrate any leadership skills?
I am able to show a small amount of leadership in the performance of my duties. When given an assignment, I sometimes have to work with others on completing the assignment. Communicating properly to others what I need from them and how they can help accomplish my assignment.
The Importance of this department
Take a minute and ask yourself when you think of insurance fraud what do you think of? For most, I would believe most think of paperwork and just simply dishonest people just trying to make extra money without harming people.
Yes it is very common for people to simply destroy their own property or say their was more damage to their vehicle after an accident then there really was. These cases don't physically affect other individuals. Unfortunately their is also another side of insurance fraud that is committed by the worst type of people who have no regard for others. I will give an example of one case that is being worked by one of the detectives.
A basic summary of this case would be the suspect was driving his car down one of the major streets in Sacramento during rush hour with the intent of causing an accident. In order to accomplish this he would wait in stop-and-go traffic and cut into lanes when gaps appeared, an then slamming on his breaks unnecessarily in attempt to cause the car behind him to rear end him. After unsuccessfully attempting this maneuver on different cars, the suspect finally got a car to hit him. The car that hit him was an elderly couple in their 70s. The man was only in a minor accident in which minor damage was visible but did not leave his car and requested medical attention when others went to check on the accident. The elderly couple were luckily not harmed in the situation.
Luckily in this case, one of the individuals who failed to run into the back of the suspects car recognized what was going on and when he witnessed the accident he pulled over to check on the scene and give his statement to the responding officers. In this situation the responding officers do not have the proper evidence to give any citations or make any arrests. The suspect is free to go and file his insurance claim that he was hit and that the elderly couple was at fault. The insurance company of the elderly couple is the agency that sent us the case file to review. Case still pending
Now this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Staged accidents and involving innocent people in the ploy of collecting money through insurance fraud happens quite often. Imagine if the elderly couple had gotten hurt, then imagine it was your grandparents or your parents that were hurt. This is just one of the important reasons investigating and reporting insurance fraud is so important. Insurance fraud isn't just a financial issue to society but a criminally negligent and violent issue as well.
Yes it is very common for people to simply destroy their own property or say their was more damage to their vehicle after an accident then there really was. These cases don't physically affect other individuals. Unfortunately their is also another side of insurance fraud that is committed by the worst type of people who have no regard for others. I will give an example of one case that is being worked by one of the detectives.
A basic summary of this case would be the suspect was driving his car down one of the major streets in Sacramento during rush hour with the intent of causing an accident. In order to accomplish this he would wait in stop-and-go traffic and cut into lanes when gaps appeared, an then slamming on his breaks unnecessarily in attempt to cause the car behind him to rear end him. After unsuccessfully attempting this maneuver on different cars, the suspect finally got a car to hit him. The car that hit him was an elderly couple in their 70s. The man was only in a minor accident in which minor damage was visible but did not leave his car and requested medical attention when others went to check on the accident. The elderly couple were luckily not harmed in the situation.
Luckily in this case, one of the individuals who failed to run into the back of the suspects car recognized what was going on and when he witnessed the accident he pulled over to check on the scene and give his statement to the responding officers. In this situation the responding officers do not have the proper evidence to give any citations or make any arrests. The suspect is free to go and file his insurance claim that he was hit and that the elderly couple was at fault. The insurance company of the elderly couple is the agency that sent us the case file to review. Case still pending
Now this isn't an uncommon occurrence. Staged accidents and involving innocent people in the ploy of collecting money through insurance fraud happens quite often. Imagine if the elderly couple had gotten hurt, then imagine it was your grandparents or your parents that were hurt. This is just one of the important reasons investigating and reporting insurance fraud is so important. Insurance fraud isn't just a financial issue to society but a criminally negligent and violent issue as well.
Interviewing My Sergeant
For my interview I chose the Detective Sergeant in charge of the task force I am assigned to help. Here is what he had to say;
What are the main job responsibilities of your position?
- Not only do I do my part to carry out the mission and objectives of this department I also supervise a team of detectives who work on my assigned task force. It is my job to ensure the needs of the detectives are being met (equipment, raining, safety issues, etc). I oversee their cases and help where needed as well as review my own cases.
How did you choose this career field?
- I just saw it as a very interesting and rewarding job.
What type of education or training is needed for the position?
- A Bachelors degree is required for the department and prior law enforcement experience is preferred but not required. You will also need to graduate from a P.O.S.T. approved academy. Excellent verbal/written communication skills is also required to perform this job.
What advise would you give to someone interested in this field?
- It is important to maintain good character and leadership skills. Helping out in the community and doing community service is also a great idea not only because it shows your dedication to the community but gives a glimpse of your character. Community service is essentially what this job is. Study, Study, Study. enhancing your knowledge will only help with the performance of your duties as well as the ability to progress up in ranks through your career. It also helps to find a mentor in the law enforcement field to help you.
Do they notice any new trends in the field?
- It is a tough time to be joining law enforcement due to the renewed public/media scrutiny towards law enforcement. This is where the studying comes into play by knowing and following the law and department policy so you always know your doing the right thing.
Why would you be interested in this career field?
- There are many different reasons why someone would choose this career field. like I mentioned before, their are so many different jobs you can do such as patrol, corrections, investigations, air operations, and much more. Unlike a lot of other career fields, this job can be different day to day and it really appeals to those looking for a team environment. Not many people say they have coworkers who are willing to risk their lives for you if called upon. Also, even with the public scrutiny this job is extremely rewarding when your able to help someone and make a difference in their lives.
What are the main job responsibilities of your position?
- Not only do I do my part to carry out the mission and objectives of this department I also supervise a team of detectives who work on my assigned task force. It is my job to ensure the needs of the detectives are being met (equipment, raining, safety issues, etc). I oversee their cases and help where needed as well as review my own cases.
How did you choose this career field?
- I just saw it as a very interesting and rewarding job.
What type of education or training is needed for the position?
- A Bachelors degree is required for the department and prior law enforcement experience is preferred but not required. You will also need to graduate from a P.O.S.T. approved academy. Excellent verbal/written communication skills is also required to perform this job.
What advise would you give to someone interested in this field?
- It is important to maintain good character and leadership skills. Helping out in the community and doing community service is also a great idea not only because it shows your dedication to the community but gives a glimpse of your character. Community service is essentially what this job is. Study, Study, Study. enhancing your knowledge will only help with the performance of your duties as well as the ability to progress up in ranks through your career. It also helps to find a mentor in the law enforcement field to help you.
Do they notice any new trends in the field?
- It is a tough time to be joining law enforcement due to the renewed public/media scrutiny towards law enforcement. This is where the studying comes into play by knowing and following the law and department policy so you always know your doing the right thing.
Why would you be interested in this career field?
- There are many different reasons why someone would choose this career field. like I mentioned before, their are so many different jobs you can do such as patrol, corrections, investigations, air operations, and much more. Unlike a lot of other career fields, this job can be different day to day and it really appeals to those looking for a team environment. Not many people say they have coworkers who are willing to risk their lives for you if called upon. Also, even with the public scrutiny this job is extremely rewarding when your able to help someone and make a difference in their lives.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Preparing for Life After College
Although in my current situation I am technically still in school and a full time student, I am beginning to change mindset from student to ... well not being a student. With the internship and the academy, my mind has been constantly on the future and what the plan is. ever since high school i have been a student including summer school. I was able to live off of part time wages and the luxuries handed down from my parents such as furniture and my car. Although I have also been working since in high school, it wasn't a job that made me think of my future like I have been lately. It has come to the point where it is time to apply everything I studied in school to the career field I hope to achieve. I won't have the flexible schedule that is one of the best parts of college life where you can at times just take a spontaneous trips with your friends just because. Instead of thinking about what bar me and my friends will go to after I get home from work or school I find myself thinking about what I'll be making for breakfast as I am getting ready for bed. I am finding myself thinking about where I want to live and buy a house and all the other things that come with preparing to live life without homework and due dates for items you aren't getting paid to do. I'm excited for the future and feel prepared to move forward thanks greatly in part to my experiences through school.
Current Cases
So I have mentioned the responsibilities of my department and the overall mission of investigating those who commit insurance fraud. There are tons of ways to do this however and no way to get everyone. Usually the only people who get caught are those who make the fraud obvious and to make it simple, "We don't catch the smart ones" was a phrase I remember hearing. To help everyone following my posts I will explain some current cases and how we get the cases to begin with. Hopefully it will shed light on what the phrase refers too.
So a case begins with an insurance company's, such as Geicho, investigations department sending us a case that they believe fraud was in play. They determine there was a fraudulent claim through many of the same methods our department does such as differences in witness statements, inconsistencies in damages of claimed loss, and prior claims. The case will then be sent to our department and the detectives in the department will review the case and pursue further leads. Let me give some examples of the above mentioned methods of determining fraud.
Differences in Witness Statements
This pretty easy to understand but I can give examples of what people are saying and why they are saying it. One of the more common cases of insurance fraud we receive includes a legitimate accident at which the claim is justified but turns to fraud when they add certain things in the claim such as someone being in the car that was not actually in the car at the time of the incident and that person was hurt. I will summarize one case I was able to review and what was said to happen. An individual is parks along the street to allow passenger to run into a store, as the car is parked on the street another vehicle backs up into the driver side of the vehicle at a slow rate of speed when it was pulling out of a parking spot on the opposite side of the street. The car that was hit claims that the passenger was in the car and that medical attention. When interviewed, the driver and suspected passenger confirmed the story but when interviewing bystanders and witnesses it was said the passenger was in the store at time of the accident and actually came out of the store and was verbally and visibly upset while confronting the driver of the other vehicle. It was then said the passenger got in the car and began to appear injured when more bystanders walked up to the scene. After again interviewing the driver and suspected passenger of the vehicle that was hit, they confess to fraudulently claiming a passenger and injury in order to get a bigger pay out from insurance company.
Inconsistencies in Damage
This area is simple in that people that may get into a small accident will cause more damage themselves in order to get a bigger pay out. Some common things seen would include the suspects self deploying their air bags or causing a second accident purposely to cause more damage.
Prior Claims
This section refers mainly to individuals who regularly partake in insurance fraud and our on agencies radars. Unlike the two methods above that can be committed by people who are just reacting to an incident in a dishonest way, prior claims usually refers to individuals that plan staged accidents and make multiple claims or are involved in other individual's claims as an injured party. Their are individuals that make their entire living off of insurance fraud. This usually involves a group of individuals who own an auto-shop or dealers license who buy salvaged vehicles, fix them crash them, collect the insurance money, and fix the car again for far less money then they received from the insurance claim and repeat the whole process multiple times.
So a case begins with an insurance company's, such as Geicho, investigations department sending us a case that they believe fraud was in play. They determine there was a fraudulent claim through many of the same methods our department does such as differences in witness statements, inconsistencies in damages of claimed loss, and prior claims. The case will then be sent to our department and the detectives in the department will review the case and pursue further leads. Let me give some examples of the above mentioned methods of determining fraud.
Differences in Witness Statements
This pretty easy to understand but I can give examples of what people are saying and why they are saying it. One of the more common cases of insurance fraud we receive includes a legitimate accident at which the claim is justified but turns to fraud when they add certain things in the claim such as someone being in the car that was not actually in the car at the time of the incident and that person was hurt. I will summarize one case I was able to review and what was said to happen. An individual is parks along the street to allow passenger to run into a store, as the car is parked on the street another vehicle backs up into the driver side of the vehicle at a slow rate of speed when it was pulling out of a parking spot on the opposite side of the street. The car that was hit claims that the passenger was in the car and that medical attention. When interviewed, the driver and suspected passenger confirmed the story but when interviewing bystanders and witnesses it was said the passenger was in the store at time of the accident and actually came out of the store and was verbally and visibly upset while confronting the driver of the other vehicle. It was then said the passenger got in the car and began to appear injured when more bystanders walked up to the scene. After again interviewing the driver and suspected passenger of the vehicle that was hit, they confess to fraudulently claiming a passenger and injury in order to get a bigger pay out from insurance company.
Inconsistencies in Damage
This area is simple in that people that may get into a small accident will cause more damage themselves in order to get a bigger pay out. Some common things seen would include the suspects self deploying their air bags or causing a second accident purposely to cause more damage.
Prior Claims
This section refers mainly to individuals who regularly partake in insurance fraud and our on agencies radars. Unlike the two methods above that can be committed by people who are just reacting to an incident in a dishonest way, prior claims usually refers to individuals that plan staged accidents and make multiple claims or are involved in other individual's claims as an injured party. Their are individuals that make their entire living off of insurance fraud. This usually involves a group of individuals who own an auto-shop or dealers license who buy salvaged vehicles, fix them crash them, collect the insurance money, and fix the car again for far less money then they received from the insurance claim and repeat the whole process multiple times.
Benefits of My Internship and Future Goals
I am in a good situation being surrounded by individuals who have been where I am right now and can give valuable advice about my future career within law enforcement. Along with the advice about my future I am getting advice on my current experience in the academy and encouragement throughout the process.
Future Advice
So I have had very good discussions with individuals in my office about my future plans and what to consider. Although I believe I have the law enforcement agency I would like to be a part of chosen in my mind, the detectives recommend not limiting my options and researching other departments as well. What is important to me is furthering my education and having opportunities for advancement within a department. The detectives highly encouraged the pursuit of further education and mentioned the ability to take advanced classes through academy classes. Most departments provide incentives for furthering your education which I find encouraging in itself. Another subject mentioned is the retirement offered by the agencies. There is different retirement offered for officers depending what level you are at within the law enforcement jurisdictions such as federal, state, county, and city peace officers. It was brought to my attention the lack of ability to transfer between the jurisdictions with your qualifying years. For example, if I were to work with a county enforcement agency and transfer to a federal agency, my years in law enforcement within the county agency may not count towards my retirement plan for the federal agency and in essence I would be starting over. This is important to think about considering the years on the job play a major role in money you get after you retire.
Current Advice
So police academy are all different in their own ways but stressful all the same. The academy is set up to put stress on the recruits and encourage them to get the job done regardless. Although the stress is present, the support and tools to succeed are also present and you learn very early on to lean on your fellow recruits to work as a team to get through as you would on the job. Being in an extended format, many of my fellow recruits are participating in this academy at night an on the weekends as well as working all day at their current jobs as I do with the internship. Learning how to handle this has been a learning curve. I have the ability to ask people who have been through similar experiences about advice and help with anything i may need help with during my studies. The emphasis on taking a step back and relax even for a short period of time to spend time with family and friends makes a huge difference in feeling fresh and capable of performing as well as serving as a reminder of why I have decided this career field. They themselves emphasize the importance on leaning on my fellow recruits and finding out who is struggling in areas that I am not and help them and same goes for seeking help from others who are excelling in areas I am not.
I will continue to listen to the advice given and take advantage of this opportunity in my internship to prepare myself for the future.
Future Advice
So I have had very good discussions with individuals in my office about my future plans and what to consider. Although I believe I have the law enforcement agency I would like to be a part of chosen in my mind, the detectives recommend not limiting my options and researching other departments as well. What is important to me is furthering my education and having opportunities for advancement within a department. The detectives highly encouraged the pursuit of further education and mentioned the ability to take advanced classes through academy classes. Most departments provide incentives for furthering your education which I find encouraging in itself. Another subject mentioned is the retirement offered by the agencies. There is different retirement offered for officers depending what level you are at within the law enforcement jurisdictions such as federal, state, county, and city peace officers. It was brought to my attention the lack of ability to transfer between the jurisdictions with your qualifying years. For example, if I were to work with a county enforcement agency and transfer to a federal agency, my years in law enforcement within the county agency may not count towards my retirement plan for the federal agency and in essence I would be starting over. This is important to think about considering the years on the job play a major role in money you get after you retire.
Current Advice
So police academy are all different in their own ways but stressful all the same. The academy is set up to put stress on the recruits and encourage them to get the job done regardless. Although the stress is present, the support and tools to succeed are also present and you learn very early on to lean on your fellow recruits to work as a team to get through as you would on the job. Being in an extended format, many of my fellow recruits are participating in this academy at night an on the weekends as well as working all day at their current jobs as I do with the internship. Learning how to handle this has been a learning curve. I have the ability to ask people who have been through similar experiences about advice and help with anything i may need help with during my studies. The emphasis on taking a step back and relax even for a short period of time to spend time with family and friends makes a huge difference in feeling fresh and capable of performing as well as serving as a reminder of why I have decided this career field. They themselves emphasize the importance on leaning on my fellow recruits and finding out who is struggling in areas that I am not and help them and same goes for seeking help from others who are excelling in areas I am not.
I will continue to listen to the advice given and take advantage of this opportunity in my internship to prepare myself for the future.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Typical Day
My typical day at the internship would be pretty uneventful as compared to the days that I get to get out of the office. I will show up to the office and get to my desk. Because of the pranksters, I will take a moment to check around my desk to make sure it clear and safe to sit down. I find it helps on the mornings that I'm feeling tired form the academy. Then I log into my computer and check any emails for projects from others in the department that are not in my office room. After that I will check in with the detectives throughout the office for any projects they may have fore me as well. Usually I will be doing some copying or case organization for the detectives and occasionally a few other odd jobs. The rest of the day I am allowed to research cases that haven't been looked into yet and see form an outline to be reviewed by detectives who will critique what I missed or how I did. Some days I work on work for the academy because the detectives offer assistance and support knowing how important passing the academy is to getting in to the law enforcement career field. At the end of the day I will check with my supervisor about any upcoming events that I should prepare for and any updates on my schedule. That's a typical day.
Field Work
Part of the mentioned duties that I would assist with was the field work which is a more hands-on assignment. I have been lucky enough to have been invited to assist or observe three different field assignments which include a witness interview as well as two search warrants. Basically, field assignments are a chance for me to get out of the office and see the type of police work that is most commonly viewed on TV that the public views as exciting.
The Interview
The interview is pretty self descriptive in that all the interview included was meeting the district attorney who would join detectives in the interview of a witness involved in the case. I was able to meet the district attorney that primarily works with the department on insurance fraud cases. The process started with the district attorney meeting with the detectives to overview the witness's involvement and what information they were looking to get through the interview. It was interesting to see the interaction between the two. During the interview, the district attorney lead the questioning to find out if the witness had information pertinent to the case that would aid in the prosecution of the suspect. I tried to listen to the questions and answers to determine my own opinion on the interview and at the end of the interview I didn't think the interview was very helpful. I was wrong, the interview gave probable cause to ask for a search warrant for one of the suspect's to locate some documentation the witness claimed to have seen that pertained to the case. After the interview, the district attorney and the detective again discussed the witness and the information she had given and came to the conclusion that she would be helpful to the case if her information proved to be accurate.
The Search Warrant
The first search warrant I got to go on was the search of a business. The search warrant covered the search of an auto shop for one of the customer's vehicle that was being investigated for a false insurance claim. For the search, the detectives meet at a field location to go over the operation plan (and yes there were donuts) which is a summary of the case and those involved, what the search warrant includes, and a detailed plan of the execution of the warrant such as paths taken to enter and a risk assessment of the facility. This warrant was given a low risk assessment but the officers involved still whore their uniforms and vests and I was instructed to wait in the car until the building was secured of any possible threats before I could join the team to execute the search warrant. It was interesting to see how the process worked and the amount of documentation that is required to make sure that everything is done legally and if needed in court would hold. The car was found and we were in and out in approximately an hour.
The second search warrant started of the same way with the debriefing. Then we were forced to wait a couple of hours before executing the warrant because there was another warrant being executed at another location that would determine if our search was still necessary. Once our search was deemed necessary, we needed to get the judge to sign off on the warrant and then we were good to go.The difference in this search was that it was a search of a residence. The homeowner was compliant and made the search an easy process. I will admit it was weird going into a person's home looking through their stuff thinking what it would be like if police unexpectedly came to my house and searched through my belongings. But the home owner was told what we were there to look for and was able to lead the investigators directly to what they wanted. Again the process did not take too long and we were able to finish the search rather quickly.
The Interview
The interview is pretty self descriptive in that all the interview included was meeting the district attorney who would join detectives in the interview of a witness involved in the case. I was able to meet the district attorney that primarily works with the department on insurance fraud cases. The process started with the district attorney meeting with the detectives to overview the witness's involvement and what information they were looking to get through the interview. It was interesting to see the interaction between the two. During the interview, the district attorney lead the questioning to find out if the witness had information pertinent to the case that would aid in the prosecution of the suspect. I tried to listen to the questions and answers to determine my own opinion on the interview and at the end of the interview I didn't think the interview was very helpful. I was wrong, the interview gave probable cause to ask for a search warrant for one of the suspect's to locate some documentation the witness claimed to have seen that pertained to the case. After the interview, the district attorney and the detective again discussed the witness and the information she had given and came to the conclusion that she would be helpful to the case if her information proved to be accurate.
The Search Warrant
The first search warrant I got to go on was the search of a business. The search warrant covered the search of an auto shop for one of the customer's vehicle that was being investigated for a false insurance claim. For the search, the detectives meet at a field location to go over the operation plan (and yes there were donuts) which is a summary of the case and those involved, what the search warrant includes, and a detailed plan of the execution of the warrant such as paths taken to enter and a risk assessment of the facility. This warrant was given a low risk assessment but the officers involved still whore their uniforms and vests and I was instructed to wait in the car until the building was secured of any possible threats before I could join the team to execute the search warrant. It was interesting to see how the process worked and the amount of documentation that is required to make sure that everything is done legally and if needed in court would hold. The car was found and we were in and out in approximately an hour.
The second search warrant started of the same way with the debriefing. Then we were forced to wait a couple of hours before executing the warrant because there was another warrant being executed at another location that would determine if our search was still necessary. Once our search was deemed necessary, we needed to get the judge to sign off on the warrant and then we were good to go.The difference in this search was that it was a search of a residence. The homeowner was compliant and made the search an easy process. I will admit it was weird going into a person's home looking through their stuff thinking what it would be like if police unexpectedly came to my house and searched through my belongings. But the home owner was told what we were there to look for and was able to lead the investigators directly to what they wanted. Again the process did not take too long and we were able to finish the search rather quickly.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
My First Weeks
Little background about me leading into this section;
My work experience includes seven years with Starbucks and a few other side jobs along the way but nothing in the career field that I hope to enter. Besides work, my life was spent at school or on the soccer field. I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend on programs or events that focused around career advancement. This internship will be the first glimpse into law enforcement life and duties as well as a work within a more professional setting in general.
My First Weeks:
I was both nervous and excited to start this internship once I had received notice that I had been accepted for the position. During the application and interview process I came to realize that I actually knew one of the detectives within the department which helped with the nerves as I showed up for the first day. The first day was primarily a meet and greet of the detectives I would be working with and the explanation of the duties I would be performing. Everyone I met in the office was genuine and nice which just made the excitement grow. As the first week went by I got to know the detectives and got to introduce myself a little more to them in the process. They were excited to hear that I was also beginning the academy and were quick to mention that I should ask if I needed any help or advice with the academy since they had all gone through one themselves. I work primarily with a task force within the department that consists of primarily five detectives who have direct access to me when they need assistance.Sitting at my desk, I am able to listen and observe the conversations and work environment of the office. The detectives utilize each other for assistance on their own cases and work as a team to get things done which is one the main reason I want to get into the career field myself. They are also able to mix in some fun during the days to keep the spirit and morale up in the office. I learned within the first week or two to check my desk and car for any changes or additions. The first prank included a Justin Beiber taped to my front license plate which I didn't notice till I got home. I have a picture I can post at a later time to illustrate. Needless to say my first few weeks were enjoyable experience that has left me excited for the upcoming time I will spend with the department.
My work experience includes seven years with Starbucks and a few other side jobs along the way but nothing in the career field that I hope to enter. Besides work, my life was spent at school or on the soccer field. I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend on programs or events that focused around career advancement. This internship will be the first glimpse into law enforcement life and duties as well as a work within a more professional setting in general.
My First Weeks:
I was both nervous and excited to start this internship once I had received notice that I had been accepted for the position. During the application and interview process I came to realize that I actually knew one of the detectives within the department which helped with the nerves as I showed up for the first day. The first day was primarily a meet and greet of the detectives I would be working with and the explanation of the duties I would be performing. Everyone I met in the office was genuine and nice which just made the excitement grow. As the first week went by I got to know the detectives and got to introduce myself a little more to them in the process. They were excited to hear that I was also beginning the academy and were quick to mention that I should ask if I needed any help or advice with the academy since they had all gone through one themselves. I work primarily with a task force within the department that consists of primarily five detectives who have direct access to me when they need assistance.Sitting at my desk, I am able to listen and observe the conversations and work environment of the office. The detectives utilize each other for assistance on their own cases and work as a team to get things done which is one the main reason I want to get into the career field myself. They are also able to mix in some fun during the days to keep the spirit and morale up in the office. I learned within the first week or two to check my desk and car for any changes or additions. The first prank included a Justin Beiber taped to my front license plate which I didn't notice till I got home. I have a picture I can post at a later time to illustrate. Needless to say my first few weeks were enjoyable experience that has left me excited for the upcoming time I will spend with the department.
Introduction of CDI Fraud Division
My Organization:
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) regulates, investigates, audits, and trains members of the insurance industry to ensure that companies comply with applicable insurance law and regulations, remain solvent and meet their obligations to insurance policyholders. The Department protects consumers by investigating and prosecuting individuals, employers, companies and licensees accused of insurance code violations, including fraud.
Branch Overview
The Enforcement Branch is the investigative body of the Department of Insurance. This branch consists of the Fraud Division and the Investigative Division. . The Enforcement Branch maintains its lead through the collaboration with allied law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout the state. The Enforcement Branch investigates over 4,600 cases of misconduct and fraud by insurers, bail bond agents, employers, providers, insurance agents, brokers, and adjusters, and claimants annually.
Branch Mission
“To protect the public from economic loss and distress by actively investigating, arresting, and referring, for prosecution or other adjudication, those who commit insurance fraud and other violations of law; to reduce the overall incidence of insurance fraud and consumer abuse through anti-fraud outreach and training to the public, private, and governmental sectors.”
The core mission of the Fraud Division is to protect the public and prevent economic loss through the detection, investigation, and arrest of insurance fraud offenders. The Fraud Division acts as the primary law enforcement agency in the State of California for investigating different types of suspected insurance fraud.
Insurance fraud can involve claims, policy applications, and, in the case of workers' compensation insurance, premiums paid by employers. Claimant fraud may include the filing of an insurance claim based on a fictitious or fraudulently staged act such as an accident, injury, theft, arson or other loss, to collect money illegally from insurance companies. Application fraud includes misrepresentations or omissions of material information on the policy application. Premium fraud can occur when an employer fails to provide adequate workers' compensation coverage to employees, or underreports payroll which results in the employer paying a lower premium to the insurer. Crooks often act alone, but increasingly, organized crime rings stage extensive schemes resulting in the theft of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, sometimes even honest people feel that insurance fraud is a victimless crime and do not see the harm in committing this type of crime.
In addition to aggressively investigating suspected insurance fraud, the Fraud Division also conducts audits of grant funds awarded to district attorneys’ offices for the purposes of investigating and prosecuting suspected insurance fraud, and of insurers’ special investigative units to ensure compliance with anti-fraud regulations and statute.
http://cdiintranet.insurance.ca.gov/insidecdi/index.cfm
My Role:
As an intern I will be assisting the CDI's Fraud division in their case work during my time as an intern. My duties will typically include supporting detectives with office work and case management, such as creating case binders. Other duties will include field work such as assisting in the execution of search warrants as well as case review. For case reviews, the detectives will give me the opportunity to review a case that comes into the office and ask me too give my thought if there is a crime to investigate and who the likely suspects are and who should be interviewed. A lot of the work is primarily support work and as my time with the department goes on and my knowledge of the material grows, I will be given more duties to assist the department.
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) regulates, investigates, audits, and trains members of the insurance industry to ensure that companies comply with applicable insurance law and regulations, remain solvent and meet their obligations to insurance policyholders. The Department protects consumers by investigating and prosecuting individuals, employers, companies and licensees accused of insurance code violations, including fraud.
Branch Overview
The Enforcement Branch is the investigative body of the Department of Insurance. This branch consists of the Fraud Division and the Investigative Division. . The Enforcement Branch maintains its lead through the collaboration with allied law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout the state. The Enforcement Branch investigates over 4,600 cases of misconduct and fraud by insurers, bail bond agents, employers, providers, insurance agents, brokers, and adjusters, and claimants annually.
Branch Mission
“To protect the public from economic loss and distress by actively investigating, arresting, and referring, for prosecution or other adjudication, those who commit insurance fraud and other violations of law; to reduce the overall incidence of insurance fraud and consumer abuse through anti-fraud outreach and training to the public, private, and governmental sectors.”
Fraud Division (FD)
The core mission of the Fraud Division is to protect the public and prevent economic loss through the detection, investigation, and arrest of insurance fraud offenders. The Fraud Division acts as the primary law enforcement agency in the State of California for investigating different types of suspected insurance fraud.
Insurance fraud can involve claims, policy applications, and, in the case of workers' compensation insurance, premiums paid by employers. Claimant fraud may include the filing of an insurance claim based on a fictitious or fraudulently staged act such as an accident, injury, theft, arson or other loss, to collect money illegally from insurance companies. Application fraud includes misrepresentations or omissions of material information on the policy application. Premium fraud can occur when an employer fails to provide adequate workers' compensation coverage to employees, or underreports payroll which results in the employer paying a lower premium to the insurer. Crooks often act alone, but increasingly, organized crime rings stage extensive schemes resulting in the theft of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, sometimes even honest people feel that insurance fraud is a victimless crime and do not see the harm in committing this type of crime.
In addition to aggressively investigating suspected insurance fraud, the Fraud Division also conducts audits of grant funds awarded to district attorneys’ offices for the purposes of investigating and prosecuting suspected insurance fraud, and of insurers’ special investigative units to ensure compliance with anti-fraud regulations and statute.
http://cdiintranet.insurance.ca.gov/insidecdi/index.cfm
My Role:
As an intern I will be assisting the CDI's Fraud division in their case work during my time as an intern. My duties will typically include supporting detectives with office work and case management, such as creating case binders. Other duties will include field work such as assisting in the execution of search warrants as well as case review. For case reviews, the detectives will give me the opportunity to review a case that comes into the office and ask me too give my thought if there is a crime to investigate and who the likely suspects are and who should be interviewed. A lot of the work is primarily support work and as my time with the department goes on and my knowledge of the material grows, I will be given more duties to assist the department.
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Introduction and Goals
My name is Zach Azevedo. I was born and raised in Sacramento, California. I currently live in Sacramento County and have lived here all my life except for the two years I spent in Tempe while attending ASU. Although I miss being on campus and the friends I made in Tempe, I am glad to be back in Sacramento close to my family. During this Internship I will also be attending the Sacramento Sheriff's Academy in hopes of joining the department in June of next year. The next few months will be a long and stressful journey but I am excited for the challenge.
My three goals for this internship are;
1. Gain experience in the career field of law enforcement
2. Learn and understand how an investigation is operated from start to finish
3. Learn how different departments work together within the Justice System such as different law enforcement agencies and the District Attorneys office.
My three goals for this internship are;
1. Gain experience in the career field of law enforcement
2. Learn and understand how an investigation is operated from start to finish
3. Learn how different departments work together within the Justice System such as different law enforcement agencies and the District Attorneys office.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)