® facebook ® twitter

Orange County Auto Theft Investigators Association

Prior OCATI Meeting Training Presentations


2014 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
Guest Speaker Dennis FriasGuest Speaker Efrain Quezada
Due to illness, our guest speaker from the CHP Mexican Liaison Unit could not make it to the meeting to give an update on the situation in Mexico.  Instead, the guest speakers at the December 2014 OCATI meeting were Dennis Frias, Oficina Coordinadora de Riesgos Asegurados (OCRA) U.S.A. & Canada Operations Manager, and Efrain Quezada, LoJack Law Enforcement Liaison for San Diego & Imperial Counties, who gave a presentation about the situation in Mexico.  Since Efrain was with the CHP Mexican Liaison Unit for 18 years prior to retiring, and Dennis was the CHP FEAR Sergeant, both shared a vast knowledge of the problems related to Mexico.

Guest speaker Richard O. Knapp, OCATI / WSATI Legal CounselGuest speaker Richard O. Knapp, OCATI / WSATI Legal Counsel
The Guest Speaker at the November 6, 2014 OCATI meeting was Richard O. Knapp, Knapp & Spurlock, LLP, OCATI / WSATI Legal Counsel, who gave a presentation on "Vehicle Theft and Insurance Claims."  Richard gave some humorous examples of how the "bad guys" think insurance companies are fools and will accept any story they come up with.

Guest speaker CHP/OCATT Investigator Mike PimentalGuest speaker CHP/OCATT Investigator Mike Pimental
The Guest Speaker at the October 2, 2014 OCATI meeting was Michael Pimental, CHP / OCATT Investigator, who gave a presentation on Business Inspections of Auto Related Businesses.  Mike went over what could and could not be done utilizing California Vehicle Code 2805.  Gabe Marquez, Crime Prevention Program of Southern California Executive Director, also gave information about using 2805 VC in checking heavy equipment at construction sites.

Guest Speaker Mike BenderGuest Speaker Mike Bender
The Guest Speaker at the September 4, 2014 OCATI meeting was Mike Bender, ICW Group Insurance Companies manager, who gave a presentation on Vehicle Security Devices and Transponders.  Mike's PowerPoint presentation and show and tell enlightened the audience about what is defeating even the best the automotive industry has to offer.

Guest Speaker Matt Loftus
The Guest Speaker at the August 7, 2014 OCATI meeting was Bureau of Automotive Repairs Supervisor Matt Loftus of the BAR Irvine Office.  Matt spoke about auto body repair and how BAR tries to inspect and regulate repair shops.  Matt said that BAR works with the insurance companies and the Department of Insurance to make sure repairs are being made at licensed repair shops.  Matt handed out material that also included a brochure on the BAR Auto Body Inspection Program.

Guest Speaker Greg LaryGuest Speaker Dennis Frias
The Guest Speakers at the July 10, 2014 OCATI Meeting were 3M ALPR Representative Greg Lary and VINMonitor Representative Dennis Frias.  Greg spoke about the law enforcement applications of ALPR systems and Dennis spoke about the Private Industry applications of ALPR systems.  Greg also spoke about some of the current issues being addressed regarding lawsuits and pending legislation regarding the use of ALPR systems being used by law enforcement.

Guest Speaker DMV / OCATT Investigator Cesar MataGuest Speaker DMV Placentia Administration Manager Irma Bryant
The Guest Speakers at the June 5, 2014 OCATI Meeting were DMV / OCATT Investigator Cesar Mata and DMV Placentia Administration Manager Irma Bryant, who gave a presentation on "California DMV Vehicle Updates and Records."

Guest Speaker OCFA Fire Captain / Investigator Ray FalconGuest Speaker OCFA Fire Captain / Investigator Bob SpiegelGuest Speaker Irvine PD / OCFA Fire Investigator Justin Russell
The Guest Speakers at the May 1, 2014 OCATI Meeting were Orange County Fire Authority Captains Ray Falcon, Bob Spiegel, and Irvine Police Department Arson Investigator Justin Russell, who gave a presentation on "Vehicle Arson Investigations."  Ray and Bob showed actual suspected vehicle arson fires that they have recently investigated.  Justin explained how he is the liaison between the Fire Authority and law enforcement agencies within Orange County.

Guest speaker NICB SSA Ron MichelGuest speaker NICB SSA Ron MichelThe Guest Speaker at the April 3, 2014 OCATI meeting was National Insurance Crime Bureau Supervisory Special Agent Ron Michel.  Ron gave a presentation on "Staged Accident Investigations."  Ron made it very clear to the attendees that staged accidents, insurance fraud, auto theft, and subleasing all go hand in hand.  Ron's training was very well received by a large turnout at the meeting.

Guest speaker OC Deputy DA Renee JonesGuest speaker OC Deputy DA Renee JonesThe Guest Speaker at the March 6, 2014 OCATI meeting was  OCATT / Orange County District Attorney's Office Deputy District Attorney Renee Jones.  Renee gave a presentation on "Auto Theft Complaint Filings."  Renee helped the attendees in understanding what makes a successful report, which makes a successful complaint, and ultimately a successful prosecution.

Guest speaker OCATT / CHP Investigator Kraig PalmerGuest speaker OCATT / CHP Investigator Kraig Palmer
The Guest Speaker at the February 2014 meeting was OCATT / California Highway Patrol Investigator Kraig Palmer.  Kraig gave a presentation on "Rental Car Theft / Fraud Investigations."  Kraig's presentation was very enlightening involving the way thieves are targeting Rental Car companies. Photos blurred on request of Investigator Palmer.

Guest speaker NICB Special Agent John AcunaGuest speaker NICB Special Agent John Acuna
The Guest Speaker at the January 2014 meeting was National Insurance Crime Bureau Supervisory Special Agent John Acuna.  John gave a presentation on "NICB Foreign Operations" covering areas on assisting with recoveries in Mexico, as well as assisting with investigations in Mexico.

2013 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
Guest speaker Betty Ashley, Wells Fargo Dealer Services Guest speaker Dennis Frias, Locator Technologies Guest speaker Eileen Mejia, Toyota Financial Services
The Guest Speakers at the November 2013 meeting were a panel presentation on "Financial Fraud."  The panel consisted of representatives from local banking financial institutions and vehicle financial institutions. Wells Fargo Dealer Services Operational Risk Consultant Betty Ashley, Toyota Financial Services Fraud Investigator Eileen Mejia, and Locator Technologies Representative Dennis Frias made a presentation to the attendees.  Both Betty and Eileen spoke about some recent incidents of fraud and how cooperative efforts with law enforcement representatives led to positive results.  Dennis Frias also spoke about how Locator Technologies assists financial institutions in the recovery of their missing vehicles, as well as assisting law enforcement in the recovery of reported stolen vehicles.

L-R: Ron Seldon, Steve Hardy, Paul Schaeffer, Jeff Enfield, Jay Rocker
The guest speakers at the October 2013 OCATI meeting were a guest panel of representatives from the local regional auto theft task forces.  The panel included Lieutenant Ron Seldon (Riverside Autotheft Interdiction Detail - RAID), Detective Steve Hardy (California DOI 1050 Urban Auto Fraud Taskforce), Lieutenant Paul Schaeffer (San Bernardino County Auto Theft Taskforce - SANCATT), Lieutenant Jeff Enfield (Los Angeles County Taskforce for Regional Autotheft Prevention - TRAP), and Sergeant Jay Rocker (Orange County Auto Theft Taskforce - OCATT).  The OCATI attendees learned about the background of each task force, latest trends seen by the task forces, and current cases being worked by the task forces. 

Guest Speaker Heather Roberts
The guest speaker at the September 2013 OCATI meeting was Heather Roberts, Liberty Mutual Insurance SIU, who gave a presentation on "Classic Car Theft and Body Shops."


Guest Speaker Dennis FriasGuest Speaker Efrain Quezada
The guest speakers at the August 2013 OCATI meeting were Dennis Frias, Oficina Coordinadora de Riesgos Asegurados (OCRA) U.S.A. & Canada Operations Manager, and Efrain Quezada, LoJack Law Enforcement Liaison for San Diego & Imperial Counties, who gave a presentation about Mexico Operations related to stolen vehicles, recovery and operations.

Guest speaker Gary Labb
The guest speaker at the July 2013 OCATI meeting was Gary Labb, Santa Ana Police / Orange County Auto Theft Taskforce (OCATT) Detective [retired].  Gary's presentation covered "Basic VIN information" as well as things to look for when looking at "good VINs" and "bad VINs." 


Guest speaker Ron Poll, CPP of Southern California Executive Director
The guest speaker at the June 2013 OCATI meeting was Ron Poll, Executive Director of the Construction Industry's Crime Prevention Program of Southern California.  Ron gave a presentation on "Construction Equipment Theft and Identification," as well as some case histories. Dennis Frias briefly spoke about law enforcement's participation on the CPP Board of Directors.

Guest Speaker Keith Jackson, KBJ ConsultingGuest Speaker Keith Jackson, KBJ Consulting
The guest speaker at the May 2013 OCATI meeting was Keith Jackson, KBJ Consulting, who gave a presentation on "Watercraft Theft / Identification."  Keith is a recognized expert in this field and was able to point out past cases where just knowing the little things made a big difference in the outcome of the case.

Guest Speaker Mick O'Neill, Hagerty Insurance SIUGuest Speaker Mick O'Neill, Hagerty Insurance SIU
The guest speaker at the April 2013 OCATI meeting was Mick O'Neill, Hagerty Insurance SIU who gave a presentation on "Classic Car SIU Investigation - the basics".  Mick walked the attendees through one investigation from start to a finish the insured did not expect when he reported his classic car stolen.

Guest Speaker NICB Agent Chris MendezGuest Speaker NICB Agent Mark Winter
Due to a medical emergency, Guest Speaker NICB Agent Pat Goodman could not attend the March 2013 OCATI Meeting.  Stepping in to do the training were the "tag-team" of NICB Agents Chris Mendez and Mark Winter.  They gave a presentation on NICB Operations and how NICB can assist Law Enforcement and Insurance personnel.

Guest Speaker Kevin LetsonGuest Speaker Kevin Letson
At the February 2013 OCATI Meeting, Farmers Insurance SIU Investigator Kevin Letson gave a presentation on body shop fraud and investigations.

Guest Speaker Orange County DDA Leslie HankeGuest Speaker Orange County DDA Claudia Alvarez
At the January 2013 OCATI meeting, Orange County District Attorney's Office Auto Fraud Deputy District Attorneys Claudia Alvarez and Leslie Hanke gave a presentation on the Elements of Case Filing - Vehicle Theft / Insurance Fraud for both law enforcement and private industry.

2012 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
At the November OCATI meeting, Cletus Nunes, from the Automobile Club of Southern California, came in to brief the attendees of a new program that is being put into effect in California, the AAA OnBoard Stolen Vehicle Assistance Program.  Cletus gave a presentation of the program and then requested feedback from the attendees on any potential problems that anyone might see.  There was quite a bit of discussion and it appeared that Cletus took down a lot of notes to give feedback to others at AAA.

Guest Speaker Christophe Delavoye
The guest speaker at the October OCATI meeting was Christophe Delavoye from PLATENET National License Plate Monitoring System.  Mr. Delavoye provided information on this new resource for vehicle theft and fraud investigations and demonstrated the system during the program. Christophe also ran live queries of license plates from those in attendance. Christophe showed the attendees how to sign up for a 30-day free trial access to the system. Needless to say, this system will help both law enforcement and SIU personnel in their investigations.

The guest speaker at the August 2012 OCATI meeting was Ken Zion from Automotive Collision Consultants, who gave a presentation on an additional tool that can be used to identify vehicles.  Ken's presentation gave information that both law enforcement and insurance SIU personnel can utilize.  He provided handout material as well.

Guest Speaker Gabe Marquez, CHP / L.A. TRAPGuest Speaker Lou Koven, NICBConstruction Equipment Theft
The guest speakers at the July 2012 OCATI Meeting were Investigator Gabe Marquez from CHP / L.A. TRAP) and Special Agent Lou Koven from NICB who gave a presentation on Construction Equipment Theft and Trends.

Guest Speaker Ted Saraf, LoJack Law Enforcement LiaisonLoJack is offering a great price on LoJack for Classics for a limited time
The guest speaker at the May 2012 OCATI Meeting was Ted Saraf from LoJack.  Ted gave a presentation of how the LoJack recovery system works from the viewpoint of law enforcement. Ted also spoke about the requirements necessary for a LoJack activation.

Guest Speaker Jim Gotter, Orange County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab
The guest speaker at the April 2012 OCATI Meeting was Jim Gotter from the Orange County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab. Jim gave a presentation on vehicle evidence processing (i.e.: DNA, photos, prints) and also information on evidence from organized rings or major investigations.

Guest Speaker Tony Ko, Toyota / Lexus Financial Fraud Unit
At the January 2012 OCATI Meeting, Tony Ko, Toyota / Lexus Financial Fraud Unit, gave a presentation on Vehicle Finance Fraud.  There were also representatives from Honda and Hyundai, who are part of the Auto Finance Fraud Association set up to combat the fraud that is plaguing the industry.  Tony went over several different "schemes" that are being perpetrated against the auto finance industry.  It was obvious that the best way of combating these crimes is by networking and training.

2011 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
Guest Speaker OCATT Task Force Commander Ed MichalkiewiczOCATT 2nd Quarter 2011 Report
At the October 2011 OCATI Meeting, OCATT / CHP Lieutenant / Task Force Commander Ed Michalkiewicz gave the attendees an update on the Orange County Auto Theft Task Force (OCATT) which is now in its 18th year of operation.  Ed explained to the attendees what OCATT did to identify and prosecute vehicle theft suspects in Orange County.  Ed also spoke about the current staffing of OCATT.  Ed handed out two quarterly reports to the attendees which explained some of the cases worked by OCATT personnel (the encrypted reports can be located here).  Ed also spoke about current trends in vehicle thefts and theft of vehicle parts.

Guest speaker Long Beach Police Sergeant Jim WilliamsGuest speaker Long Beach Police Detective Joe Starbird
At the September 2011 OCATI Meeting, Long Beach Police Sergeant Jim Williams and Detective Joe Starbird gave a presentation on how thieves are breaking into GM vehicles to steal the third row seats or to steal the vehicles.  Attendees viewed several surveillance videos as well as a slide presentation.  It was very enlightening to see how quickly this can be done.

NICB Agent Mark Winter giving his presentation on ISO ClaimsearchNICB Agent Mark Winter giving his presentation on Social Media
At the August 2011 OCATI Meeting, NICB Special Agent Mark Winter gave a presentation on the ISO Claimsearch Database.  Mark also gave a presentation on the use of social networking for investigations.

Tim Staab, Glendora PD / Delta Analysis, giving his presentation on Auto Fraud & Staged Traffic CollisionsTim Staab, Glendora PD / Delta Analysis, giving his presentation on Auto Fraud & Staged Traffic Collisions
At the June 2011 OCATI Meeting, Tim Staab, Glendora PD / Delta Analysis, gave a presentation on Auto Fraud and Staged Traffic Collisions.  The presentation also covered "Black Box" technology.

Dennis Frias, OCRA / Consolidated Fraud Group giving a presentation on private license plate readersDennis Frias, OCRA / Consolidated Fraud Group giving a presentation on private license plate readers
At the April 2011 OCATI Meeting, Dennis Frias, OCRA / Consolidated Fraud Group, gave a presentation on Private License Plate Reader (LPR) databases.  This covered systems that are available to law enforcement, as well as the private sector.

2010 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
Advanced Technologies & Forensics Tom Serrogy giving a presentation on ignition / lock forensicsAdvanced Technologies & Forensics Tom Serrogy giving a presentation on ignition / lock forensics
At the November OCATI meeting, Tom Seroogy of Advanced Technologies & Forensics, Inc gave a presentation on ignition / door lock forensics.  Tom's presentation included examples of sophisticated tools available to the forensic locksmith personnel as well as how auto thieves may be acquiring the same tools.

Part of Heather's presentation on Classic Car Theft InvestigationInfinity Insurance SIU Investigator giving her presentation on Classic Car Theft Investigation
At the October OCATI meeting, Infinity Insurance SIU Investigator Heather Roberts gave a presentation on Classic Car Theft Investigation.  Heather has an extensive background in classic cars and drag racing.  Her presentation gave a lot of information that both law enforcement and insurance SIU personnel can use in their investigations.

Dennis Frias giving a presentation on Consolidated Fraud Group and OCRAMike Bender's video on new techniques to steal vehicles
At the March OCATI meeting, former CHP Sergeant Dennis Frias gave a presentation about his new employer, Consolidated Fraud Group, a company dealing with financial fraud prevention and detection.  This company works with financial companies with fraudulent credit applications.  Dennis also said he was working with (OCRA) Oficina Coordinadora de Riesgos Asegurados, S.C. in trying to locate and recover Mexican stolen vehicles that have been brought into the United States.  Also providing training at the March OCATI meeting was Mike Bender (former Simi Valley PD Detective/NICB Agent), owner of Bender Enterprises (www.vintrack.com) which specializes in stolen vehicle detection. Mike gave a presentation on new methods thieves are using to steal cars.

2009 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
Greg Lary from Federal Signal/PIPS Technology
Greg Lary from Federal Signal/PIPS Technology gave a presentation on their LPR system, "Back Office Server Software" (BOSS), and data sharing at the November OCATI meeting.

DMV Investigator John Bartolone
DMV Investigator John Bartolone gave a presentation on “Registration Classification Codes” pertaining to DMV documentation topics at the September OCATI Meeting.

Brea Police Detective Chris Wood gave a presentation on how GM products are being broken into and stolen at the June OCATI Meeting.

Mike Bender of Bender Enterprises
Mike Bender (former Simi Valley PD Detective/NICB Agent), owner of Bender Enterprises (www.vintrack.com) which specializes in stolen vehicle detection, gave a presentation on Forensic Vehicle Identification at the April OCATI Meeting.

2008 Training Presentations at OCATI Meetings
OCFA Fire Captain Bret Russell
Orange County Fire Authority Captain Bret Russell, arson investigator, gave a training presentation on vehicle arson at the November meeting.

CHP FEAR Sergeant Dennis Frias
CHP Sergeant Dennis Frias gave a training presentation on the FEAR Team (Foreign Export And Recovery Team) at the August meeting.

Tustin Police Detective Dave Welde gave a training presentation on Fraudulent Application cases at the May meeting. 

Santa Ana PD Forensics Supervisor Heather Heider explaining DNA to OCATI
Santa Ana Police Department Forensics Services Supervisor Heather Heider gave a training presentation at the March meeting on the expanded use of DNA collection, especially related to recovered stolen vehicles.

Click here to return to the OCATT Home Page Menu
Click here to return to the OCATT Home Page Menu
....