Blog 22: Mentorship

Adam Cordova

Special Investigations Unit

The most important thing I've gained from working with the SPI Unit, and especially under my mentor, was how important it was to cooperate and work together. They're a very small team, made up of only 6 people, when a problem arises between them, if it isn't worked out quickly, then the whole line of jobs and work gets backed up. I got to see this very personally over the past few months, with investigations by IA and drama between each other. It taught me how important just a little communication can be when you're working as a team.

This mentorship has helped me with my senior project because I got to work with the people I was doing the project on, so I got to pick their brains and get their opinion on what the best solution would be. They aren't mentioned anywhere in papers, or in the internet, so actually talking to them has been the only way to gain any real answers to their plights. I think that this mentorship was at the perfect time, with all the situations going on, I was able to see what was affecting them most, and how they deal with it. It also helped me answer my EQ because I was able to get feedback over what to add or remove from my answers to help me give the best advice on how they could be better utilized, and be as efficient as possible.

Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I am most proud of being able to speak quality research on my topic for enough time, and making time in general. It was my greatest worry that I would not be able to speak long enough, as before when I had timed myself, I didn't make time, so to hear that I made both speaking time, and overall time was a relief.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP       CR       NC

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I think what really worked for me in my senior project was my mentorship. During my mentorship I was able to learn some much in more in-depth of the operation of the law, and the struggles that technical teams face in their work. I also got to see the dedication these people put into their oath to protect and serve. Also, I would not be able to learn anything on the SPI Unit, even their existence, if it weren't for my mentorship
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I had more information I wanted to say. there was more to my topic that I wish I could have said, I wanted to go on about how the only way the LASD would probably learn is by losing cases, or waiting years on an outside tech team, since that was the only reason several other departments learned to create and effectively fund their own SPI Unit-variants. My activity is also something I wanted to work on. I wanted to add onto it, having the groups also focus on managing their money, and giving them a budget to work with. I also would have created a stricter schedule for myself, as that would have saved me a lot of trouble.
(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.
 I don't think that without the senior project, I would have ever thought of law enforcement as a viable employment option. Because of Senior Project, I have considered going into and applying for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Academy, and joining the LASD. I hope to one day get to the same position as my mentor and join the ranks of SPI, if it still exists. Senior Project also has given me perspective to how the real world looks, with the deadlines and individual responsibilities. I guess in an immediate sense, Senior Project gave me the chance to gain real world experience and more to put on my resume.

April Blog

This month was filled with fighting, arguments, deals, and reconciliation. Over the past few months, the new detective the Unit had hired was progressively getting more and more out of hand. They had at one point refused to pass a message from a federal agent to the sergeant who led the Unit. After a previous controversy surrounding a detective who tried to incriminate the other detectives and was abusing overtime, the controversy going so far as to bring in internal affairs and an investigation into the unit and to consider disbanding the team and integrating it's remaining eligible members into lower units, there was little patience or forgiveness in the team for this new unknown member. But the straw that broke the camels back was when this detective had thrown a tantrum over not being included in a small scale bugging. They had left work early, again after multiple times, the sergeant had lost his patience and instead of giving the detective another chance, they brought in my mentor and another senior, and sat down for a talk with the new one. The talk included that they had not been acting like part of a team, but as an individual, how unacceptable that was for this line of work, and that with all that they had done, the sergeant suggested that they should consider leaving the unit for another line of work. It seemed that the new detective had never worked in such a team, that they didn't have the experience of working together, or even the experience that my mentor did when they first joined. during this intervention, I was not there, and received the information from my mentor about the aftermath. The event was reconciled by an admittance of guilt by the new detective and that they had not been a part of such a small team, and did not have the same teaching or experience that they did. My mentor and the sergeant had accepted their reasoning and gave them a final warning stating that they needed to work with the team, and if they had to stay late or if they had to do more work for it, then that's what was necessary. Overall, the situation these past months, especially April has been extremely strenuous on the teams bond, however, hopefully they can overcome this and go back to being a close team.

Exit Interview

1. My Essential Question is "How can the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department best utilize their Special Investigations Unit?" 

• The first answer I created was, By increasing their funding and staff, so that they could both pay for new equipment and training to use that equipment." 
• The second answer I came up with was that the Sheriff's Department should sit down with the SPI Unit, and similar teams like them, and discuss the laws written, to clear up any confusion over the definition of what is legal and not. 
• The third answer was the Sheriff's Department needed to clean up it's application process, and work to better compensate and provide incentive it's seniority. 

My best answer was by far the first one. Answer 1 deals with an immediate danger within the SPI Unit, by the LA Sheriff's Department. that being budget cuts, layoffs, and eventual disavowal, where the sheriff would break the unit up and put them back into a larger unit. So the unit needs funds to grow and become prevalent within the department. I came to this answer after my mentorship and being able to look through the Los Angeles County Annual Report, the report had information regarding all public services in the county, and it gave me the budget, acting sheriff, their jurisdiction, and even summaries of each division, including the technical division which my mentor is tied to. using this I learned just how little funding the SPI Unit is actually given.

2. I came around to this answer over the course of my mentorship. There would be constant times while working that I saw they were working with last generation equipment. This isn't so bad when it comes to power tools, but with surveillance equipment, it is vital that they manage to stay ahead of the curve with new technology because of constant counter-espionage attempts to thwart any chance for secret cameras or wiretaps. Another problem that I saw occurring is that over time, no matter how much they balanced their money, or how they planned it out, the detectives would either pay for their training or not go to the training at all, and as I said before, being able to know how counter espionage works puts them at the advantage of being able to both effectively sweep rooms and buildings for hidden devices, and know how to hide them by out thinking those same tactics.

3. A large problem I faced was watching what information I gave. The SPI Unit is a relatively unknown unit and it's important that their members and tactics remain secret. This is essential when performing covert investigations, where they must catch confessions by secret surveillance equipment. The number of cases they had a hand in, and the exact method of their operations are confidential, so to be able to write anything, I had to run it by my mentor to insure that I had not given any forbidden information. However I was able to remedy this problem by focusing on their funding, and finding what problems had stemmed from that. It turns out, that the lack of funding they received was impacting the whole of their performance. Even though my mentor says that the job is going to get done with or without the money, he also told me that their job becomes much more easier, and they can get more of it done with a higher budget.

4. One of the two most significant sources of information I received was my mentor and their team. Working with them gave me the idea of what could be accomplished with more funding. even if their budget was doubled, they wouldn't even be taking more than a ten thousandth of a percent, and could fund double the employees and purchase higher grade equipment, and training. It would also provide security and benefits for it's seniority who had started to lose faith in the Department's system. 
The next great source I had was that of private investigators who posted laws and methodology online, or published it in articles. These investigators had posted entire papers on how the law thinks, what the technicalities, or loophole are, in a language for civilians and officers to understand. Using these articles, I was able to learn the law, and the backwards ways it can be used, and how the Sheriff's Department's hiring process is hurting it's seniority. 
A published source that helped me come to my best answer was the case studies provided by Guidance Software, the company has provided it's software to multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles  Sheriff's Department, and my mentor has used the companies multiple programs several times. While the Department has since moved on to different programs, Guidance has been updating their service, and increased their customer base, and hopefully, the department will see how wise an investment into their products will be for the Special Investigation Unit.
A source that started all my research and pointed me where roughly where to look was provided by the Alameda County District Attorney, who showed the contribution that recordings made to solving cases and gathering evidence. The source provided information about multiple cases that involved the use of covert recordings that were gathered from prison visits and interviews. It also showed the laws that the detectives faced and followed when gathering this information, how they couldn't record attorney conversations without a warrant, or how they could get prisoners implied consent, and how to separate it from explicit consent. overall the source was a huge start for me to learn what to start with in terms of research and rough answers.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

I Esai Cordova, that I completed my Independent Component which represents 33 Hours and 9 Minutes of work

  The driving force behind the completion of my independent component 2 was my mentor himself. being able to work with someone and ask them any questions without feeling that i was coming off as less intelligent is a huge help to being able to get the information I need, it also helps that my mentor had over 20 years of experience in the Sheriff's department. 

  During my independent component 2, i continued mentoring under my mentor, but i approached the work differently this time, and instead of just performing my work, i asked questions about the methods behind why they did what they did, I asked for and received data on the number of cases they solve and what and how they extracted for those cases. 

The work i performed while mentoring is valid because i am not only doing lectures or interviews, I get to interact with all the technology they use or have used, take the picture below

   In this picture you can see four random objects, boots, vase a CD player, and DVD player. In each of these objects there are hidden cameras, but even more impressive is that the props here weren't just tossed in the room, each of these had to have been in the room before, so that they would be unnoticed, because the team learned to replace, not add items to a room. their reasoning goes along like this, the human subconscious notices new objects in a familiar environment, so by adding a new plant or clock, it stands out to people. however that vase? been in the office for years, people walk by without even thinking about it. another thing to note, is that all these objects are safe to bug, because they aren't moved around often, and don't get replaced often. I got to learn all their methods over the time of my independent component, and I also learned the way the operate the cases they take, prison recordings are probably the easiest parts, when they're there, they stay, and all the team has to do is press record.  

  Actually going out into the field is very dangerous, because they go undercover, and have no allies there but themselves. and they have to scope out the site they are called into to investigate. They go into small groups, and act as a repairman, or some blue collar worker. I learned that when sweeping buildings, if they find a bug, they can't remove it. because that bug may have been placed by a federal agent, and to remove it would be to interfere with a federal investigation, which leads to too many issues, so they simply inform them where that bug was placed, and to be careful about what they say there. the team fights a lot of red tape to do their work. new tech is expensive so they end up having to use ingenuity to do their work. because they'll get the work done, but they get more done when their budget is increased, and their workforce grows. I also got a view into the laws they operate under, and the technicalities they're bound by, federal, local, and state.

Febuary Blog

February has been like most days of my mentorship, not too much exciting happens. This month, I've been mostly filing away cases and recordings. Most of these cases are from prisons and include evidence given away during prison meetings. the file is either on the prisoner or the investigator. if it's the prisoner, then it's all the recordings of them, and their file. if it's the investigator then it's the multiple prisoners and suspects that they're investigating. Also this month, some of the older detectives are getting annoyed by the new detectives reluctance to do any work. the new detective leaves the second their shift is done, and goes on constant breaks. They also have been slacking off of telling the older detectives of meetings with others, new assignments, and hasn't been relay important information to them. I've put it done to being in a new unit and not being use to the motions. but my mentor and his others have some large issues with this of course. their work is serious and it's important that the work is done properly.

March Blog

It seems like mentorship is going to be much more difficult at this time. Like before, the Unit is under investigation by IA about possible misconduct by it's more recent members. these claims mainly focus on unprofessional behavior and even accusations of possible unlawful recording. These claims seem at the moment to be just technicalities and that this member is currently a victim of circumstance. However the claims of unprofessionalism seem to hold more weight, since their employment, they have neglected to inform older detectives of meetings and has left the office the moment their shift ends, not wanting to compromise their overtime. Their devotion doesn't seem to be toward their unit, rather themselves. I can only see two outcomes, either this new detective gets with the program and is more compliant with their equals, or they will end up leaving due to their own frustrations.

Blog 18: Interview 4 questions

1.  How do you feel about the financial situation of your department?
2.  What do you think that the Sheriffs Department could be doing to better fund your team?
3.  How would your work be different if there were more detectives working alongside you?
4.  Why do you think that the Sheriff Department isn't funding your team more?
5.  How do you think my Answer 1 could be better improved to speak about the situation?
6.  What would you say is the best way for the LASD to utilize you in your opinion?
7.  Do you think that the Sheriffs are experiencing an overflow of applicants?
8.  If so how would you fix this problem? automating the process, or by narrowing acceptance rates? If not, why would you say that their application process works?
9.  What do you think is the most important aspect of your work? Do you feel it's been neglected?
10.  How vital do you feel your work is overall to the department?
11. What is your experience with the effects laws have regarding your work?
12. Is their any law regarding your work that you feel is unnecessary? 
13. Would you be open to discussion with your employers regarding these laws if you thought they could be changed?
14.  Is it possible that the departments lower leveled positions are saturated at the moment?
15.  If so, How would you think that the problem needs to be solved? If not, what's keeping them from that?
16.  How have you moved from your beginning position to the work you are in now? what has helped you along that path?
17. What would you suggest to a new applicant looking to join your line of work, What advice would you give them?
18. What would you say the biggest problem is right now within your department?
19.  What is your opinion on the way to solve that problem, or if it's being solved now, your opinion on their method?
20.  What is your suggestion to people looking to go into the Sheriffs for training for other trades besides law enforcement?

Blog 17: Answer 3

My EQ is "How can the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department best utilize it's Special Investigations Unit?"

1. My answer 3 would be that the LASD needs to sort out it's job mobility issue, and fix the overflow of applicants so that wait time for application is reduced from 6 months to a more reasonable time for the largest department in the U.S.
2.
A. One detail is that there is currently a 6 month wait time when you apply to even have your application looked at as evidence as stated within their Job Applications and FAQ
B. Another would be that the current wait time to be moved from the jails to patrol is even longer, and can take years, unless you have the connections to get you moving within the system.
C. Finally, there is the fact that they're the largest Sheriff's Department within the US and receive tens of thousands of applications monthly

http://shq.lasdnews.net/content/uoa/PER/faqs.pdf
Their frequently asked Questions page, on their second page, they admit to a six month wait time from application sending, to actually getting tested.

http://shq.lasdnews.net/pages/PageDetail.aspx?id=2066
their information detail which has provide information on their sheer size, including maps showing their jurisdiction on where they can act.

The Sheriff's Department has problem with it's hiring process, they're drowning in these applications, and the problem is that their low leveled positions are filled, and they need a way to move, and to go up in the ranks. there needs to be an overhaul in their system to get lower level workers either moving, or out of there.

January Blog

During January, I learned more on the interviewing process within the Unit. As I've said before, the Special Investigations Unit is made up of 6 members. these members include 5 detectives and 1 sergeant, there used to be 10 members but they've been since moved down to their current employees. recently a new member has been interviewed and hired by the unit early in the month. The turnover rate for new positions within the unit shifts every few years, changing based on if any member may have left or not. This new member has served for 4 years as an investigator within the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and applied to this unit due to their proficiency in the field.
The interview was headed by the Sergeant, who asked the applicant about their experience as an investigator and what skills they have within the Units field of work. I wasn't around for the bulk of the interview, but learned from my mentor it went on for half of a shift. In the end, the Sergeant had decided that this new applicant showed enough promise within their expertise to join the unit. They are now taking over a spot that was removed because the previous detective had recorded conversations between others unlawfully and was discovered.

Blog 16: Answer 2

1. My EQ is, "How can the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department best utilize their Special Investigations Unit?"
2. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department can best utilize their Special Investigations Unit by better funding them, and by providing them with more employees, and giving them constant up-to-date training for advances in technology and methods.
3. The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department could be better utilizing their SPI Unit by removing the unnecessary, bureaucratic laws that bind them at the moment, and discuss which of these laws is necessary.
4. a. The LASD has three form of recording consent laws, whether it be dual, all, or single party consent, It is unnecessary to have both dual or all party as their descriptions are almost completly identical.
b. The Los Angeles Sheriff County has little in place to protect its detectives from being accused of breaking these laws and little to save them from loophole exploitation.
c.
5. Faturechi, Robert. "Narcotics Wiretap Catches Voice That May Be Sheriff's Captain's." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
It can be seen that even the Sherifffs aren't safe from recording at times. and nothing hurts the reputation of other detectives than one being caught doing something wrong.
6. Friedersdorf, Conor. "Eyes Over Compton: How Police Spied on a Whole City." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.  This Source shows the bad PR that the sheriffs recieve whenever they try to monitor or patrol the city in newer, more sophisticated and safe ways. They are pressured into using older methods that put more people in danger.
7. To conclude the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department may have been pressured into it's downsizing by citizens who were upset at the methods they were using, and wanted them to shift over to more comfortable, familiar methods used previously.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

    For my independent component 2, I plan to perform more mentorship to better understand how the SPI Unit functions and the limitations they work with. During the time in my mentorship, I plan to acquire documents detailing on the budget they are given out of the whole LASD, and on their hiring rates. This will help by giving actual data on whether or not the LASD could add another detective. If not then the budget needs to be moved. And during my time in my mentorship I could interact more with the other detectives to get their opinions and ideas.
    To actually make these 30 hours by going with my mentor to the office building over the weekend, when I can stay for the entire shift, rather than go when the shift is about to end. This allows me to receive more hours, and gain more insight on my answer. I plan my mentorship over the weekdays, and go on either Saturday, or Sunday. Once I arrive at the office I work the jobs they assign me for the whole shift and leave with my mentor. I average 8-9 hours now when I work.
    By continuing my mentorship, I get to talk more to the staff/detectives about what problems the Unit is being given by the LASD. By getting their opinions I can mold my answer to better suit and help the most workers within the Unit. Also by continuing my mentorship, I could investigate more into the Unit to learn other possible solutions to my EQ. This would help flesh out my other answers and even might give a better answer than what I had before.

Independent Component 1

I Esai Cordova, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents hours 50 Hours of work.
My mentor has been a huge part in completing my independent component. They have assisted me with the technicalities of their work within the LASD and has gone into in-depth teachings on multiple parts of the trade. during my Independent Component, I continued to work with the LASD's Special Investigation Unit. During which I was given experience and lessons on the law, criminal activities, and electronics in general, whether it be circuit boards or cameras. I was also able to have one on one discussions with my mentor at multiple times during each day of mentoring.

I believe the mentorship I have done should significantly defend my independent component. while mentoring I learned the best answer to my EQ and multiple viable answers. during my mentorship I was able to learn more about my topic and go deep into it's procedures and the laws that govern it and the people who request our services. I also learned of the auxillary programs that the SPI Unit has going on, such as counter espionage sweeps to protect schools and buisnesses from losing trade secrets or violate the privacy of the students and workers. I also learned the training process for newer detectives admitted into the Unit. I learned of the trust that goes into working with these people and the amount of dedication and willingness to work for 10 hours a day either in some horrible gang filled building, or in a secured office building, to even just sitting and listening to hours of recordings of the worst that society has to offer.

I have provided pictures of the office where we work.
In these shelves are cameras on the right, and recorders on the left. and on the table are some examples of hidden cameras:

Here is the work table at the office, at this table is Heat guns, drills, solders, wires, and circuit boards, with magnifiers to make sure of the quality of our devices:

Blog 13:Lesson 2 Reflection

1. In my presentation I was most proud of the props I brought to the lesson, and how much I knew about them. It felt good to be knowledgeable about my mentorship.
2. I would give myself an AP, because while I wasn't organized very well, I did know what I was talking about. I understood my EQ and answer. and I felt the class was engaged in my lesson. And I did have my EQ shown, and explained my answer to it using evidence from my mentorship to do so.
3. I felt that my equipment really worked for my lesson 2. I think that's what got the class engaged into my lesson. To be able to interact with the techonlogy used today and long ago.
4. If I had to be able to go back and redo the lesson, I would add more slides to the presentation. And I would also give the class more technology to interact with during the activity.
5. For my answer #2, I would say it would have to be to allow for the LASD to expand their reach beyond and allow them to act throughout Southern California.

Blog 10: EQ

I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ. In it, a working EQ must meet the following requirements, it should be broad enough to allow for multiple answers and the ability for those answers to be backed up with reasonable evidence. The EQ must however must not be some vague that any answer would work for it. An EQ must make sense in that it's worded so that anyone can take a stance on it.
2.
2a. 2a does make sense as an essential question as it allows for multiple answers but each answer does focus on the same topic. It keeps itself specific enough to focus on one point, but allows for multiple answers.
2b. 2b I feel does meet some of the requirements for being a EQ but I feel it's to specific. it feels like the answer could just be said very close-ended.
2c. 2c doesn't look like it meets the requirements for being an EQ, it doesn't really allow for a strong research point. the EQ could be answered by asking customers.
2d. 2d seems a bit short at first, but it does allow for a strong research base, as multiple documents do exist on the topic and the research could lead to multiple answers. the EQ is worded correctly and makes sense.
3. "How could an investigator best plant recording devices discreetly, while still following the laws they are bound by?"

December Post

For my extra post I want to talk about the NATIA conventions my mentor goes to every now and again. these conventions are hosted across the United States and last about 1 week. last year NATIA hosted at San Diego, so, after talking with my mentor, I took a train to San Diego during the last few days of the convention. While there my mentor introduced me to some presenters of the convention, and gave a lesson on camera lenses and care.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1. Over break, My mentor spent time talking to me about the laws that they are bound by and the consequences in breaking these laws, as earlier that month a worker was put under investigation for possibly breaking the law. It was discovered that he was illegally planting audio recorders, and abusing overtime.
2. I learned that the job is a minefield where you need to be sure of every step you take, and be sure it follows the law, or else you can be terminated from the workplace. I also learned some of the rules shouldn't be there and serve only to hinder the investigations that take place.
3. I would rather talk to the creators of the laws that my mentor has to follow, I want to understand their reasoning for why they created these laws and who exactly do they protect. Because I feel that some of their laws don't help the public, or the officers and only act as an obstacle.

Blog 12: 10 Mentorship hours

For my mentorship I am working under Detective Adam Cordova at his place of employment for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. My contact (what i would assume to be Mentor) is Detective Adam Cordova. During most of my mentorship, I am close by with my mentor as I assist him in recordings, electronic building, and small lessons that go deeper into the current topic.