IAATI Vehicle Identification Award

This was a whole team effort where not only were investigators and field officers utilised specialist techniques and surveillance methods utilised but also included their lab staff who recovered VINs for them. In addition to recovering several hundred vehicles which were returned to insurance companies they had a truly international aspect to their operation where they dismantled more than 30 OCG operating in Greece, Albania, the Balkans, and Central Europe. One part of the operation targeted an OCG operating Shell companies stealing Japanese vehicles (Toyota/Nissan) that were either later cloned and sold on or stripped for parts. In that instance alone they made 8 arrests including the head of the OCG.
Adding to our decision was the fact that they left no stones unturned and targeted not just the whole vehicles but seized engines, gear boxes, engine control units and many other car parts and worked tirelessly liaising with manufacturers to identify the vehicles these parts originated from to get further charges/convictions. 

There is no doubt that this was an exceptional performance in the field of Vehicle Theft Investigation resulting in criminal prosecution and/or identification leading to recovery of stolen motor vehicles.  
They provided multiple examples of such performance where their operation successfully ID stolen vehicles and suspects which resulted in a significant positive impact, including convictions which have led to a reduction in vehicle crime numbers, the recovery of stolen vehicles.

“VI Unit is based in Athens Greece. During last year they had hundreds of success cases regarding vehicle criminality. 

They managed to dismantle more than 30 organized criminal groups who were active in Greece, Albania, the Balkans and in the central Europe. 

They have identified, in 2022, more than 230 manipulated cars and these cars were given to insurance companies, mostly in Greece”.

“For a period of nine months, we conducted a secret investigation in order to identify and dismantle an organized criminal group engaged in car thefts, mostly TOYOTA models YARIS HYBRID, COROLLA and RAV-4 but also NISSAN model QASHQAI, which are very popular in our country.

The perpetrators owned cell companies and after the cars were stolen, either they were sold as used cars with falsified documents and forged VIN numbers  or they were dismantled and sold as car parts.

Twenty-one investigators and field officers were involved in this case and us a result we made 8 arrests including the head of the organization.

In order to uncover their role, we used every available mean such us monitoring their movements and wiretapping their conversations.

We confiscated eighty-eight car engines, thirty-six gear boxes, twenty-nine engine control units and many other car parts (doors, bumpers etc). In order to find out their origin, we sent their serial numbers to the manufactures, and they informed us in which car there were built in originally.

Furthermore, we seized special technological equipment, portable devices connected through the OBD port "On Board Diagnostics" to the ecu of the vehicles, of great monetary value. Using this equipment, they were able to steal the cars.

Also our criminal laboratories examined thirty one cars about the authenticity of the VIN number.

Last but not least all the confiscated cars, more than fifty, were cross checked into our data bases and physically examined on the spot.”

This award honors any person or organization for exceptional performance in the general field of vehicle identification during criminal investigations. We are honored to present the 2022 Vehicle Identification Award to the Riverside Auto Theft Interdiction Detail (RAID Unit) for “Operation VIN City”.  Honorees include:

Det Everth Bercian, Riverside Police Department

Inv. Bertram Blinn, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Dep. Timothy Provost, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Agent Gabe Marquez, NICB

Here are the details of their success story:

“Operation VIN City” began when the RAID NICB agent noticed an altered high mileage smog check report on a 2018 Range Rover registered in California that had no shipping record report in NICB’s database. This initial lead resulted in the recovery of 2 VIN switched Range Rovers that had been sold to an innocent buyer. Subsequent investigation lead to the seller identifying the supplier of the vehicles who was out on bail for transporting 44 lbs. of methamphetamine. Investigators gathered valuable information that led to identifying two additional suspects and to the execution of over 30 search warrants for phone records, GPS trackers, and phone pings.

In total, 40 surveillance operations were conducted, leading to the identification of additional suspects and more altered stolen vehicles, and the counterfeit titles being created to use with these stolen vehicles. Additionally, 10 search warrants were executed in LA County, Orange County, and Riverside County residential locations which resulted in computers, cell phones, VIN switched vehicles, titles, and much more evidence being recovered. Overall, 23 suspects were arrested and over 80 VIN switched stolen vehicles with a value of over $2,000,000 were seized. Numerous firearms and large amounts of narcotics were also recovered and many marijuana grow sites located. 

The 2021 IAATI Vehicle Identification Award recipient was similarly impressive in his development of a multifaceted and ground-breaking vehicle ID program.  Detective Senior Sergeant Peter Ziser of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) Surveillance Operations Unit (SOU) is the architect of a platform that continues to spark reform in vehicle identification across the entire policing spectrum, solving hundreds of crimes from abductions to armed robberies and homicides. We at IAATI offer our heartfelt congratulations to DSS Ziser on the enormous impact of this broad-reaching and game-changing vehicle ID platform.

Winners of the first-ever Vehicle Identification Award for Training Fundamentals are Detective Maureen Stefenelli, Detective (retired) Joseph Guidice and Detective 1st Grade Tom Burke of NYPD’s Auto Crime Unit, who co-developed in January 2019 the ”Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course.”

Designed in conjunction with the FBI, IAATI, NICB and NYPD’s legal staff, this intensive two-day course covers proven vehicle identification techniques such as lawman searches, use of License Plate Readers (LPRs), evaluation of interior photos captured on suspects’ cell phones, paint comparisons, LEEP, and the like. Investigators who are selected to attend this training are seasoned veterans with the background and passion for vehicle identification. This course concludes with IAATI’s Level I and Level II examinations. Course graduates, deemed by the courts “experts” in photographic vehicle identification, often are called upon to testify on the identification of vehicles for local, state and federal courts.

The citation for this important recognition is as follows:

“For developing and executing a unique and advanced ‘Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course’ in the identification of vehicles from videos and photographs. This program and the expert testimony of course graduates have led to the conviction of suspects committing major crimes, reflecting favorably upon the NYPD Auto Crime Unit, in keeping with IAATI’s highest standards of professionalism.”

Pictured in this photograph, the three award recipients will receive their plaques at next year’s annual IAATI International conference in Denver. We heartily congratulate them all on this extraordinary achievement!

Respectfully submitted,

Co-chairs Reg Phillips and George Baker

Winners of the first-ever Vehicle Identification Award for Training Fundamentals are Detective Maureen Stefenelli, Detective (retired) Joseph Guidice and Detective 1st Grade Tom Burke of NYPD’s Auto Crime Unit, who co-developed in January 2019 the ”Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course.”

Designed in conjunction with the FBI, IAATI, NICB and NYPD’s legal staff, this intensive two-day course covers proven vehicle identification techniques such as lawman searches, use of License Plate Readers (LPRs), evaluation of interior photos captured on suspects’ cell phones, paint comparisons, LEEP, and the like. Investigators who are selected to attend this training are seasoned veterans with the background and passion for vehicle identification. This course concludes with IAATI’s Level I and Level II examinations. Course graduates, deemed by the courts “experts” in photographic vehicle identification, often are called upon to testify on the identification of vehicles for local, state and federal courts.

The citation for this important recognition is as follows:

“For developing and executing a unique and advanced ‘Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course’ in the identification of vehicles from videos and photographs. This program and the expert testimony of course graduates have led to the conviction of suspects committing major crimes, reflecting favorably upon the NYPD Auto Crime Unit, in keeping with IAATI’s highest standards of professionalism.”

Pictured in this photograph, the three award recipients will receive their plaques at next year’s annual IAATI International conference in Denver. We heartily congratulate them all on this extraordinary achievement!

Respectfully submitted,

Co-chairs Reg Phillips and George Baker

Winners of the first-ever Vehicle Identification Award for Training Fundamentals are Detective Maureen Stefenelli, Detective (retired) Joseph Guidice and Detective 1st Grade Tom Burke of NYPD’s Auto Crime Unit, who co-developed in January 2019 the ”Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course.”

Designed in conjunction with the FBI, IAATI, NICB and NYPD’s legal staff, this intensive two-day course covers proven vehicle identification techniques such as lawman searches, use of License Plate Readers (LPRs), evaluation of interior photos captured on suspects’ cell phones, paint comparisons, LEEP, and the like. Investigators who are selected to attend this training are seasoned veterans with the background and passion for vehicle identification. This course concludes with IAATI’s Level I and Level II examinations. Course graduates, deemed by the courts “experts” in photographic vehicle identification, often are called upon to testify on the identification of vehicles for local, state and federal courts.

The citation for this important recognition is as follows:

“For developing and executing a unique and advanced ‘Auto Crime Vehicle Photo ID Certification Course’ in the identification of vehicles from videos and photographs. This program and the expert testimony of course graduates have led to the conviction of suspects committing major crimes, reflecting favorably upon the NYPD Auto Crime Unit, in keeping with IAATI’s highest standards of professionalism.”

Pictured in this photograph, the three award recipients will receive their plaques at next year’s annual IAATI International conference in Denver. We heartily congratulate them all on this extraordinary achievement!

Respectfully submitted,

Co-chairs Reg Phillips and George Baker