Volunteer Edward Navarro-Outstanding Community Partner

February 25, 2014

Peace Officers Association of Los Angeles County (POALAC)

2014 Centurion Awards for Excellence Outstanding Community Partner

Volunteer Edward Navarro

Edward Navarro became a Volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) in 2010 and has been assigned to the Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau's Real Estate Fraud Team. Prior to becoming a Volunteer with LASD, Edward Navarro was also a Volunteer with the Whittier Police Department. Edward Navarro's valuable expertise stems from his work in the private sector as an escrow officer.

While working as a Volunteer with LASD, Ed Navarro's expertise has not only been utilized by investigators assigned to the Department's Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, but has assisted investigators from other agencies, who were also investigating real estate fraud. Ed is also a member of the Los Angeles County Real Estate Fraud Task Force (REFTF), which is comprised of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors from the surrounding counties, and meets monthly at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

Ed Navarro also became involved in training law enforcement about real estate fraud. Ed completed the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) IDI Instructor Course and became an instructor for the POST "ICI Real Estate Fraud for Investigators" course, which is taught to law enforcement investigators throughout the State. Ed has also provided training regarding escrow and shortsale fraud to members of the Los Angeles County Real Estate Task Force, and at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Southern California Taskforce (SCAM) meetings.

Ed Navarro has also been involved in presentations at the Department's Annual Volunteer Conferences, and at other presentations requested by law enforcement agencies, civic groups and the real estate industry. Ed has also been instrumental in bringing together representatives from the escrow, real estate sales, and title insurance industry to discuss the most recent real estate fraud trends, and to establish a communication link between our Department, the FBI and their industry. Ed and members of the LASD Real Estate team were also interviewed by FOX 11 News, who had expressed a desire to use some of team's real estate fraud cases to produce an investigative type series.

Ed Navarro also assisted a Temple Station Detective, by posing as a notary and witnessing the fraudulent signing of loan documents by the suspect. Ed later testified at the Preliminary Hearing, where the suspect was "Held to Answer."

Volunteer Ed Navarro's contributions to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have gone way beyond the normal functions provided by most volunteers. Ed is always available to review real estate fraud cases to determine the best avenue for an investigation, and is only a phone call away, to answer a real estate question, for any law enforcement investigator. Volunteer Navarro is truly an individual who has enhanced the image of the law enforcement profession, and is deserving of the 2014 Centurion Award for Excellence - Outstanding Community Partner.