While not as visible as uniformed police officers, the more than 450 investigators of the California Association of Criminal Investigators (CACI) are every bit as vital to the public safety of Californians and, when not on the front lines fighting criminals, they are often behind enemy lines gathering necessary intelligence to thwart illegality.
All CACI investigators are fully sworn peace officers and virtually always carry a firearm into the job at hand.
Members of CACI investigate criminal, civil, or administrative complaints related to the illegal cannabis market, insurance fraud, real estate law, hospital services, public administration, and industrial relations. They work for the State of California in numerous department such as Cannabis Control, Consumer Affairs, Insurance, State Hospitals, Health Care Services, State Lottery, and Industrial Relations,
Examples of the work that CACI members perform:
When a drug trafficking organization or cartel attempts to establish itself in the illegal cannabis market, Cannabis Control detectives attempt to disrupt or eliminate financial sources, including looking at all avenues to thwart illegal grows, dispensaries, distributors, and labs.
When a doctor or dentist goes bad, it is a Consumer Affairs investigator working to make sure they are no longer in business. The same goes for nurses, psychiatrists, and other health-care professionals, as well as for anyone dealing in insurance and Medi-Cal claims.
CACI investigators actively combat the underground economy that costs California billions of dollars a year. They combat labor trafficking, wage theft and child labor. They are guardians of the public purse, making sure anything the state of California spends money on is not skimmed, scammed, or stolen. Tax cheating and other white-collar crime, as well as tampering with the lottery, fall within the purview of CACI investigators.
