District Attorney Summer Stephan has appointed Jorge Duran as new Chief Investigator of the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, the law enforcement arm of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. The Bureau is made up of eight divisions, including 130 District Attorney Investigators—who are sworn peace officers— as well as Process Servers, Paralegals and Investigative Technicians. [WATCH THE VIDEO OF HIS SWEARING IN CEREMONY, HERE]

“We are thrilled to have Jorge’s extensive experience, proven leadership, and innovative approach to community outreach heading our investigative team,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan. “Jorge’s exemplary character and record of outstanding public service have defined his career and I know he will bring a fresh perspective to management of the Bureau of Investigation and to building safe and healthy neighborhoods in partnership with the communities we serve.”

During his time as a Captain at the San Diego Police Department, Duran initiated and implemented the “Better a Block” community outreach program in the Southeastern Division communities. He partnered with local Pastors to host block parties to foster better relationships between his law enforcement officers and the communities they served and to build trust from the top down.  The program served to reduce gang violence in these neighborhoods, and improved community relations so significantly that it is still active today.

“I am very excited and looking forward to working with the Bureau’s dedicated professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality service and building positive working relationships with the communities we serve,” said Chief Investigator Jorge Duran.

Chief Duran served six years as a squad leader in the United States Marine Corps Reserves before joining the San Diego Police Department in 1987.  He was promoted to Detective in Narcotics, Sergeant at the Western division, then Internal Affairs and later Cold Case Homicide, where he provided guidance and had oversight of the investigations into more than 100 cold cases.  He was then promoted to Lieutenant and led the Central, Watch Commander, Gangs, Internal Affairs and Homicide Divisions. He also achieved the rank of Captain where he led the Southeastern Division and Operational Support Divisions.

Twenty of Jorge’s 29 years at SDPD were spent in a leadership capacity as Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain, and he attended the POST Supervisory Leadership Institute.  While at SDPD, Duran successfully reduced gang-related murders by 80%, initiated problem solving meetings in underserved communities, developed contingencies for planned and unplanned critical incidents such as fires and protest demonstrations, supervised SWAT, Canine, and the Homeless Outreach Team/PERT, he managed the department’s body worn camera program including training, maintenance, inventory and storage of over one thousand body worn cameras, participated in monthly community walks in neighborhoods to learn more about and address public safety concerns, and supervised the allocation of more than 1,000 patrol officers citywide.

After serving more than 29 years at SDPD, Duran joined the District Attorney’s Office in 2017, where he has served in our Superior Court and Special Operations Divisions.  He consults for the US Department of Justice to guide innovative and progressive police policies, and contributed to the publication of Homicide Process Mapping, a widely used DOJ-sponsored guide for optimizing investigation procedures and successful prosecutions.

In addition to Chief Duran’s 31 years of law enforcement experience, he has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration from San Diego State University, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University, and has attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia where he received a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia.

[WATCH THE VIDEO OF HIS SWEARING IN CEREMONY, HERE]

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan is warning San Diegans on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission of a scam in which callers targeting the San Diego area are pretending to be from the Social Security Administration in an attempt to obtain social security numbers for financial crimes. Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to this scam and have been a main target. [TWEET THIS]

There are multiple versions of the rip-off. For example, in some cases the caller may say your social security number has been linked to a crime and has been blocked, but that for a fee it could be reinstated. The caller will then ask you to verify your social security number. Another variation involves the caller saying that your social security number has been used to apply for multiple credit cards, which could cause you to lose your social security benefits. Or the caller may say that your bank account is on the verge of being seized and that you must withdraw all of your cash, which the caller will conveniently tell you he or she can keep safe.

“All of these are scams,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Do not provide your social security number or banking information to any caller, even if the caller ID shows Social Security’s 1-800 number. Instead, hang up and call Social Security to verify. Unfortunately, scammers use technology to make any number they want appear on a caller ID.” [TWEET THIS]

The Social Security Administration’s phone number is 1-800-772-1213.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors honored five prosecutors and an investigator from the District Attorney’s Office with proclamations recognizing their outstanding contributions to public safety over the past year. The awards were presented at Wednesday’s board meeting. The prosecutors were selected for the awards by the San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association after being nominated by their peers for their extraordinary work. [TWEET THIS]

“I’m honored to work with and lead such outstanding Deputy District Attorneys and investigators who deliver justice every day on behalf of crime victims in San Diego County,” DA Summer Stephan said. “They truly represent the dedication and quality of our entire prosecutorial team.”

The Board of Supervisors honored the following DA employees:

Deputy District Attorney Stewart David Bost

David Bost, who has worked as a gang prosecutor for almost his entire career, prosecuted two gang members over the course of four murder trials in front of five juries. For more than 23 years, he pursued justice for the 1995 unsolved gang-related murder of 18-year-old Crystal Odom. The gang members’ target was Ms. Odom’s gang-affiliated boyfriend, Curtis Harvey. After three trials and almost 23 years after Skyline gang members shot and killed Ms. Odom, the jury convicted the killer of murder. In another murder case, gang member Christina Daniels attacked and stabbed Jasmine Ruiz to death inside of a car. After stabbing her, Daniels ran Ruiz over and left her pinned under the car where she bled to death. A jury convicted Daniels of murder.

Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey

Makenzie Harvey has tried nearly 50 felony jury trials during her tenure in the Superior Court Division of the District Attorney’s Office, including eight homicides. As a team leader, she has mentored many young prosecutors. In addition to her team leader assignment, Harvey is the crime lab liaison to law enforcement agencies. Most recently, she tried a homicide case in which a recently-retired school teacher was murdered by her son. The defendant stabbed his mother multiple times and used a Taser gun during the attack. He was convicted of first-degree murder.

Deputy District Attorney Marnie Layon

Marnie Layon, a prosecutor in the Family Protection Division, handles some of the most difficult cases in the DA’s Office. In the last year, she successfully prosecuted several tragic cases that highlight her extraordinary skills. The cases involved murder, rape, domestic violence and child sexual abuse. She is the epitome of the professional, career prosecutor.

District Attorney Jalyn Wang

Jalyn Wang’s work in the last year has been extraordinary. One of her cases included a murder in which the defendant beat his cellmate to death. The case had significant legal issues, including a mental health-related defense. Wang’s cases also involve a series of home invasion robberies and residential burglaries. A true testament to her dedication to the victims in her cases is demonstrated by the cards, flowers, and expressions of gratitude she receives.

Deputy District Attorney Claudia Plascencia

In just six years, Claudia Plascencia has distinguished herself as an outstanding prosecutor. A perfect example includes her prosecution of Salvador Sanchez in the case known as the Snapchat Murder. Her preparation and passion for her work resulted in a first-degree murder conviction and a sanity verdict. This case presented difficult and complex legal issues that forced her to get into the mind of the killer to make sense of the senseless for the jury. She presented a clear, concise, well-organized case that enabled the jury to quickly reject the defense contentions in both phases of the trial.

District Attorney Investigator Richard Anderson

Richard Anderson was a police officer, gang detective, and sergeant for the Oceanside Police Department for 30 years. He brought his extraordinary skills to the DA’s Office, where for seven years he has been assigned to the Gangs Division in North County. Anderson was instrumental in investigating the case of three gang members who killed a man in Fallbrook who was walking home in 2016. During last year’s trial, he ensured that reluctant witnesses came to court and closed any gaps in the case that came up. In another case involving 15-year-old Annabelle Flores, who was killed by gang members while playing on a structure at an Oceanside park, Anderson tracked down difficult witnesses and got them to court for the jury trial. The victim’s family was distrustful of law enforcement and even though they were reluctant to cooperate, Anderson ultimately gained their trust. They remembered how he treated them with respect and kindness when he arrested their own family members. Because of that trust, Anderson worked with the family to generate leads that helped solve the case.

Anderson was then assigned to Economic Crimes Division where he went straight to work in a complex embezzlement case. He interrupted his own vacation to obtain evidence that greatly strengthened the case. Anderson truly embodies excellence and commitment. [TWEET THIS]

This past Saturday, 10 investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau on Investigations participated in the annual Shop With A Cop program.

At 6:45 am the investigators paired up with the children, who are selected by their schools, as they arrived at SeaWorld. The children were treated to a special breakfast which included hot cocoa with marshmallows.

After breakfast the children had their own private dolphin show before making their way back to the police cars that took them with lights and sirens to a Target store.

While at Target, the children had $150 to spend on themselves and family.  All of the children that were with the DA Investigators made sure to shop for family members.

Supervising Investigator Chris Raagas has been participating in the annual event since 2002.

“My favorite part is shopping with the child at Target and having them get gifts for their parents and siblings,” he said.

Members from the Bureau participated in several charitable events throughout the year to help fund this great holiday event.