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State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
The Division of Law Enforcement’s Bureau of Investigation (BI) is comprised of Special Agents that perform a myriad of duties. Agents are experts in conducting complex criminal investigations ranging from identity theft to trans-national criminal enterprises. Agents are assigned to regional offices and task force offices throughout the state.
The mission of BI is to provide statewide expert investigative services combating multi-jurisdictional criminal organizations. Through leadership and innovative programs, the BI will enhance public safety by focusing law enforcement efforts in the areas of organized crime, consumer fraud protection, cyber-crimes, and any crime or civil action of statewide importance to the Attorney General.
This program works with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of detecting, investigating, prosecuting, dismantling, preventing and responding to domestic and international terrorist activities in a unified and coordinated manner.
On September 30, 2020, Assembly Bill (AB) 1506 (Stats. 2020, ch. 326) was signed into law, which requires the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate incidents of an officer-involved shooting (OIS) resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian. This mandate went into effect on July 1, 2021, at which point the DOJ, while working collaboratively with the respective local law enforcement agency (LEA), will be responsible for the criminal investigation from the inception to the conclusion. The investigation will include the totality of the circumstances and analysis per California Penal Code § 835a, along with the legal review by DOJ’s Deputy Attorneys General.
All AB 1506 incidents shall be thoroughly investigated in a comprehensive, and timely manner. The initial crime scene response and preliminary investigation serves as the foundation for the entire investigative process, and often lasts unabated for several days or longer depending on the circumstances involved in each unique situation. The Division of Law Enforcement’s (DLE) California Police Shooting Investigation Team (CaPSIT) program has the inherent obligation to ensure that the investigative process and the investigations are continually improving while taking advantage of all new technology, methodology, and techniques by constantly reviewing the technological, scientific, legal, academic, and nationwide law enforcement environments.
The CaPSIT special agents will work collaboratively with the respective LEA in conducting the OIS investigation. This comprehensive investigative process will ensure that the DOJ's AB 1506 criminal investigations accurately provide the overall findings as to what occurred during the incident based on the facts investigated, which in turn, will allow the investigation to withstand the scrutiny of subsequent reviews by civilian and law enforcement review panels, as well as criminal and civil courts whether in the state or federal justice systems. The CaPSIT program’s goal is to produce the most comprehensive, thorough, accurate and timely investigation possible which can be confidently relied on by all concerned.
This program is part of a national strategy, intelligence sharing and training initiative addressing methamphetamine and pharmaceutical drug crimes in the United States.
This program diverts and monitors precursor chemicals, regulated chemical substances and laboratory items that can be used to produce illicit drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, or ecstasy.
The EPIC program focuses on the investigation and prosecution of civil and criminal cases relating to illicit cannabis cultivation with a focus on environmental and economic harms and labor exploitation.
The California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation’s Fentanyl Enforcement Program (FEP) investigates major fentanyl-trafficking criminal networks throughout the State of California.
This program provides assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies in the location and prosecution of suspects who are Mexican nationals accused of committing violent crimes in California and flee to Mexico to avoid arrest and prosecution in California.
This program provides statewide enforcement focused on criminal activity directly related to human trafficking and sexual predator apprehension.
This program provides leadership and promotes professionalism in the criminal intelligence community in order to protect public safety and constitutional rights.
This HIDTA Investigative Support Center provides strategic investigative research and analysis, tactical case and special operations support, as well as real-time “officer safety” deconfliction services.
In July 2021, Assembly Bill 331 “Organized Theft” (AB 331) extended the existing Organized Retail Theft laws created AB 1065, through January 1, 2026. With this extension, the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) Organized Retail Criminal Enterprises (ORCE) program was created within the structure of the CA DOJ White Collar Crime program. With the creation of the ORCE program, the Bureau of Investigation was granted a Budget Change Proposal (BCP) approving the creation of two investigative teams. The regional designation for the two teams, Los Angeles and Dublin, were established based on data collected from the National Retail Federations 2020 crime survey identifying the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento as three cities within the top 10 cities in the country for Organized Retail Theft. Learn more about DOJ’s ongoing work to prevent Organized Retail Crime.
The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act requires distributors of beverage containers to make a payment to the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund for each beverage container they sell or offer for sale to retailers and others in California. This cost, commonly referred to as the California Redemption Value (CRV), is then passed along the chain of distribution and is ultimately borne by consumers of beverages at grocery stores, vending machines, and restaurants. California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) uses the monies in the Recycling Fund to repay the initial redemption payment (the CRV) to eligible claimants who present empty CRV eligible bottles and cans for redemption. CRV eligible bottles and cans may be presented for redemption value at any recycling center that is certified by CalRecycle.
This program’s primary objective is to detect and stop existing fraud by organized criminal groups against the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund and to deter future fraud through the successful prosecution of criminal activity.
The mission of the SD HTTF is to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking and child exploitation organizations through a comprehensive, collaborative and regional law enforcement and prosecution response, in order to identify and rescue victims and hold their offenders accountable; along with promoting community awareness, expanding the exchange of information, and enhancing law enforcement resources and training. Victims of human trafficking can be anyone, including men, women, children, adults, foreign nationals, or U.S. citizens. Victims are protected under the law.
This program will consist of the SIT Teams, which provide investigative assistance to the Attorney General’s Criminal Law Division, Division of Public Rights and Division of Criminal Law units.
This program provides statewide enforcement for combating intrastate drug trafficking and violent career criminals and gangs.
This program allows BI to maintain partnerships with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to coordinate and concentrate efforts against drug trafficking, and major crimes, underground economy and human trafficking.
The Tax Recovery in the Underground Economy (TRUE) program was established by Assembly Bill 1296 on January 1, 2020. TRUE joins existing state resources to collaboratively combat illegal business activities that rob California of public funds and its citizens of public services. TRUE is comprised of investigators, special agents and prosecutors from multiple agencies working together to recover revenue lost to the underground economy.
This program is one of six Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Centers funded by Congress through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
The California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation, White Collar Investigation Teams, are dedicated to using its skills to investigate white collar crimes, criminal activities such as public corruption, money laundering, corporate fraud, securities and commodities fraud, mortgage fraud, financial institution fraud, bank fraud and embezzlement, fraud against the government, election law violations, mass marketing fraud, and health care fraud.
White collar crimes include a full range of major frauds committed by individuals, groups, and business and government professionals. These crimes are generally characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust, and are not necessarily dependent on the application or threat of violence. The motivation is usually financial and/or personal gain; to obtain or avoid losing money, property, or services, or to secure a personal or business advantage. White collar crimes are not victimless crimes. These crimes can bankrupt companies, devastate families by depleting their life savings, or cost government agencies billions of dollars.