Overview of Commercial Crimes Division

Mission

Commercial Crimes Division’s mission is to aggressively investigate property and financial crimes and incorporate the cooperative efforts of other law enforcement agencies and private sector organizations to meet this goal. Through the diligent efforts of the detective personnel at Commercial Crimes Division, the mission will reduce crime and protect the lives and property of the people we serve in the communities of Los Angeles.

Goal
Our goal is to take a leadership position in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of property and financial crimes to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life.

Commercial Crimes Division will demonstrate its leadership ability through the continuous enhancement of investigative and technological techniques by individuals who possess and have developed expertise and specialization in detecting, investigating, enforcing and prosecuting crimes of financial loss. We can best serve our communities through collaborative efforts and resources and develop our employees to the best of their potential to serve with the upmost professionalism, integrity, dedication and commitment.

About Commercial Crimes Division

Commercial Crimes Division (CCD) was established in May 2003 by merging Burglary Auto Theft Division (BAD) and Financial Crimes Division (FCD) into one Division. The investigative responsibilities have since changed. The division is divided into 9 Investigative entities: Complex Financial-White Collar Crimes Unit, Cyber Crimes Unit, Metropolitan and Valley Financial Crimes Sections, Illicit Pharmaceutical and Counterfeit Unit, Major Theft Task Force (FBI Taskforce targeting South American Theft Groups), Real Estate Fraud Unit, Train Burglary Task Force, and the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP). The primary responsibilities for the investigative entities are outlined below:

 

Complex Financial Crimes Section (213) 486-6630;

Types of crimes investigated:

Offers of Bribes or theft cases involving City employees or public officials,

Crimes involving high profile victim and/or suspect,

Corporate Security Act violations,

Complex Grand Thefts (Ponzi and Pyramid schemes on a case by case basis),

Elder Persons Estate Involved, over $300,000.

 

Cyber Crimes Section (Forensics and Investigations) (213) 533-4657; 

The Cyber Crimes Section serves two major functions:

Forensics — The Forensic Section is responsible for conducting forensic analysis of computer media for Department personnel,

Investigations — The Investigative Section conducts investigations city, state, and nationwide wherein computers are the target of illicit activity, including the handling of complex Internet-related or high technology-related crimes.

Types of crimes investigated:

Unlawful computer access, hacking, theft of data, network intrusion and denial of service attacks, complex and/or high dollar value Internet fraud cases (Over $10,000),

Any crime committed using computer-stored information, or sabotage to computer-stored information.

 

Financial Crimes Sections (Metro (213) 486-5920 and Valley (818) 374-9420);

The Financial Crimes sections are tasked with the citywide investigative responsibility for all forgery, fraud and identity theft crimes,

Cases with a loss of $50,000.00 or greater.

  • Metropolitan Forgery Section covers the following Areas: Central, Rampart, Northeast, Newton, Southwest, 77th, Southeast, Harbor, Wilshire and Hollywood.
  • Valley Forgery Section covers the following Areas: Van Nuys, West Valley, North Hollywood, Foothill and Devonshire Areas.

 

Illicit Pharmaceuticals and Counterfeit Unit (213) 486-0939;

Illicit pharmaceuticals, pirated goods, and illegal sales of counterfeit goods.

 Major Theft Task Force (Federal Task Force) (213) 486-6962;

Robbery, burglary, and theft that involves organized South American Theft Groups (SATG).

 Real Estate Fraud Unit (REFU) (213) 486-6620;

Conducts complex real estate fraud investigations wherein the title was forged and recorded with the County Recorder’s Office and “complex” fraudulent loan modification cases involving multiple victims.

 Southern California Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force (SCHTCTF) (818) 374-9621;

Organized crimes using high technological means such as synthetic identities, social engineering, dark web, and cryptocurrency.

Organized Retail Theft (ORT) unit (213) 486-5920:

Serial commercial burglary investigations related to Organized Retail Theft (as described in 490.4 CPC), with a distinct Modus Operandi (M.O.) (Multiple Felony DR Nos.), across multiple geographic divisions.

  • Organized Retail Theft in connection to a major city-wide problem in multiple geographic divisions as directed by Notice Chief of Detectives May 26, 2019. (Reference Library-Notice and Bulletins-Chief of Detectives and Detective Bureau Notices-Chief of Detectives and Detective Bureau Notices 2019-Assembly Bill 1065 Organized Retail Theft.)
  • 2 or more incidents
  • 2 or more jurisdictions/divisions involved
  • 2 or more suspects involved
  • only cases in which 490.4 PC thefts have occurred
  • Identified suspect, or substantial leads (category one by definition)
  • The investigative resources required exceed geographic area detective division capabilities

Cargo Theft Unit (CTU) (213) 486-5920:

The Cargo Theft Unit is a multi-agency task force that deters and investigates cargo theft that occurs on or has a nexus to the railroad or commercial trucking industry within the City of Los Angeles.

The Section is responsible for investigating the following on a Citywide basis:

  • Stolen cargo from railways, railyards, and vehicles.
  • “Fraud Pickups,” also known as “Fictitious Pickups,” where criminals steal the identity of legitimate truck drivers to trick companies into handing loads over to them, never to be seen again. Criminal organizations use this Modus Operandi to facilitate cargo theft activities to maneuver, deliver, and store stolen cargo for future storage and resale.
  • Stolen trucks (five-ton capacity or larger), commercial trailers, tractors, and heavy-duty equipment.
  • Probable stolen commercial vehicles, upon request, by identifying them using their secondary numbers.
  • Investigating thefts or hijacks of commercial vehicles engaged in transporting merchandise where the cargo is the probable object of the theft or hijack.
  • Investigating and recovering stolen cargo from the railroad or commercial trucking industry.

Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP) (County-Wide) (626) 873-2357;

TRAP is a regional, multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency task force that investigates, prosecutes, and deters vehicle theft and vehicle fraud on a coordinated and cooperative basis.