Senior Deputy Michael Marco, Senior Deputy Ehren Nehira, Deputy Shannon McElveen, Deputy Tim Ragan.

Crime Analyst Amanda Carr.

Location: L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Headquarters-Monterey Park, CA
Date of Event: May 12, 2009
Unit Responsible: Thousand Oaks Police Department Community Oriented Police and Problem Solving Unit

Recipients
Thousand Oaks Bike Patrol Team
Senior Deputy Michael Marco
Senior Deputy Ehren Nehira
Deputy Shannon McElveen
Deputy Tim Ragan

Thousand Oaks Police Department Crime Prevention Unit
Crime Analyst Amanda Carr

Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies and a crime analyst were awarded the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s prestigious Star Scroll for their work in matching a critical link to suspects involved in a regional elder abuse financial fraud ring. The Thousand Oaks Police Department Bike Patrol Team and Crime Analyst Amanda Carr made an instrumental identification of two suspects who orchestrated the large theft ring, which amounted to over $130,000 in victim losses over a period of several months.

On July 9, 2008, Thousand Oaks Police Department Crime Analyst Amanda Carr received a crime alert flyer from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. The flyer described a female suspect involved in the elder abuse “pigeon drop” scheme and included a surveillance photo of the unidentified suspect. Crime Analyst Carr then distributed the flyer throughout the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to alert patrol deputies using mobile data computers. On July 24, 2008, the Thousand Oaks Police Department Bike Patrol Team stopped two females in Thousand Oaks. The investigation resulted in one of the subjects, a local drug dealer, being arrested for possession of a significant quantity of methamphetamine and cash.

During the initial investigation, one of the bike patrol deputies noticed that the arrestee matched the picture of the L.A. County Sheriff’s crime alert flyer and called their Commercial Crimes Bureau. The suspect was subsequently interviewed and linked to the large elder abuse fraud ring that spanned several L.A. County communities (Hawaiian Gardens, Gardena, and Glendora). Through further investigation, the female driver was also linked as a participant in the crime ring and was later arrested.

The Bike Patrol Team worked closely with L.A. Sheriff’s investigators and secured additional critical evidence in the case by conducting search warrants in Ventura County. The deputies found wigs and nurse’s uniforms in the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects used the wigs to conceal their identities and the uniforms to portray themselves as nurses. The suspects posed as health care professionals, seeking large monetary deposits from elderly victims for the promise of providing nursing care at a later time.

The Star Scroll is a special proclamation of appreciation on behalf of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in recognition for extraordinary service to Los Angeles communities. The award, signed by Sheriff Lee Baca, is presented to individuals outside of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who have demonstrated an outstanding dedication to duty and exemplify investigative excellence.

The Bike Patrol Team and Crime Analyst were nominated for the Star Scrolls by Commercial Crimes Bureau Investigations supervisor, Sergeant Alex Radovic. The Star Scrolls were presented to the deputies and crime analyst at a special ceremony at L.A. County Sheriff’s Headquarters in Monterey Park on May 12, 2009. Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks also recognized the Bike Patrol Team and Crime Analyst for their efforts.

The arrests have resulted in state prison sentences for the two convicted suspects. This type of inter-departmental information sharing is an example of how law enforcement can quickly and effectively distribute information with the use of technology to apprehend offenders who cross over into various city/county jurisdictions.