(Pictured above from left to right: Detective Jordan McIntire, Detective Mary Freund, Detective Selby Arsena, Detective Monica Valdes, Sergeant Adrian Anderson. Pictured at right: Sergeant Fabiola Leon. Not pictured: Detective Kevin Kay.)
Once a crime has occurred and police report is written, the hard work of solving it begins. That’s the job of the UCLA PD Detective Division, who sift through all the leads and clues to track suspects down and bring them to justice.
The leaders of the division are Detective Sergeant Adrian Anderson and Threat Management Sergeant Fabiola Leon. Sergeant Anderson supervises investigations involving crimes against persons, fraud, property crimes, auto thefts, and drug-related crimes. Sergeant Leon oversees the Threat Management Unit, which investigates stalking, harassment, and cases that don’t necessarily meet criminal elements but are still of concern.
They have a combined 22 years of service with UCPD as both worked their way up to the positions they’re at now. Sergeant Anderson was a dispatcher and patrol officer before becoming a detective, and Sergeant Leon started as a Community Service Officer (CSO) while she was a student at UCLA before joining the force full time after graduating.
Contrary to the speedy outcomes that are often portrayed on TV crime dramas, detective work can be a long process. From when the detectives receive the police report to when a criminal is convicted and sentenced could take several years, which makes it that much more rewarding when a case is solved. "Hopefully we get these victims some peace, some restitution, and a sense of justice for the wrongs that were committed against them," says Sergeant Anderson. "That feels good when you can actually do that and help out."
For Sergeant Leon, there's always something to be learned as no investigation is the same, which keeps the job interesting for her. "The world of threat management is always evolving and modernizing," she says. "I love being able to learn new strategies in mitigating threats and acts of violence."
Despite the long hours that they put into their job, the camaraderie among the department makes the days go by quicker, according to Sergeant Anderson. "The fact that we can actually spend time with people that we also care about in addition to our own families, that means the world." Sergeant Leon considers UCPD itself a family, as "we're a small enough agency where you feel like you're close to everyone," she says. "I don’t feel like I’m a number because I get to know my partners and we get along great."
