Community Policing Bureau - Garden Grove

The Beat Investigations Unit (Beats) is responsiblefor investigating a variety of property crimes. During2011, Beats received a total of 5,759 crime reports toreview and investigate, 1,667 of which were assignedto specific investigators. Investigators are responsiblefor reviewing reports, conducting necessary followup investigations, and either arresting the suspect orpresenting the case to the District Attorney’s Officefor prosecution.Beat investigators operate in two-person teams,and each of the four teams specializes in a specificcrime classification. The teams are assigned to thefollowing classifications: burglary and theft; autotheft; fraud and identity theft; miscellaneous crimes.One investigator from each crime-specific teamhandles cases for the East Division of the city, whilethe other handles the West Division cases.In January, a Garden Grove resident had his prized1934 Ford three-window coupe stolen from insidean enclosed trailer in front of his house. The trailerwas recovered the next day, but was empty. The hotrod, valued at $250,000, was built by the family andconsidered a family heirloom. Investigator Loerabelieved the vehicle may have been taken to anauto body shop in Garden Grove, so he contactedthe Orange County Auto Theft Taskforce (OCATT),who assisted with an inspection of the shop. Theprized hot rod was, indeed, hidden under a car coverinside the paint booth of the shop, and was in perfectcondition. Beat investigators ultimately arrestedthree suspects as a result of the investigation, and thevehicle owner was very grateful to have the family’sprized possession back home.In August, $230,000 in cash was stolen from a GardenGrove family’s safe while they were on vacation. Themoney was their entire life savings and was kept inthe safe because they did not trust banks. A weeklater, an anonymous person called the victim andstated the money was in the bed of the victim’s pickuptruck. The victim rushed home and $228,950 waslocated inside of the bed of the victim’s pick up truck.The money was inside a box that had been washedwith bleach. Investigator Heine continued to followleads in this investigation by tracing the phone callback to a liquor store on Katella Avenue in Stanton.Investigator Heine located video from the liquorstore and another nearby business, which showeda male driving a pickup walking to the payphone tocall the victim.After many hours of investigative follow up,Investigator Heine determined that the victim’s exwife’snew husband drove the same type of pickup.Investigators Heine and Garcia located the truckand the new husband at his home in another city.Investigator Heine’s persistence ultimately led to afull confession from the suspect and his arrest for thetheft.