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Qualifications and Background of Tony Moreno -
* I've been a member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 27 years
* I have been a detective supervisor for the past 14 years
* During my career, I have worked numerous assignments relating to gangs including CRASH, homicide, narcotics, organized crime, school car, gang car, jail intelligence, etc ...
* I have conducted formal training on gangs for law enforcement for over 20 years. This includes training for thousands of law enforcement officers representing hundreds of law enforcment agencies throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
* I currently supervise a surveillance unit whose mission is to seek out and apprehend violent gang members and career criminals
* I am a court qualified gang expert
* I am a licensed private investigator in the state of California
* While assigned to the LAPD-Gang Detail from 1982 through 1986, I was nicknamed "Pacman" by gang members because of the yellow Plymouth Fury police vehicle I drove. Due to my reputation and my work in the area of gangs, my nickname and replica police vehicle were actually used in the movie, "Colors". (Link to the "Pacman Newspaper Article" at the bottom of this page)
*** On 10/23/00 and 10/24/00, I had the privilege of venturing to Mistissini Lake, Quebec, which is 9 hours north of Montreal. I, along with a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Service, conducted gang training to the Cree Nation Aboriginal Community. During our two-day visit, we met with all the students of the middle and high school, the parents of the community and the intervention professionals of the region. Even in this beautiful and remote land, they are affected by the outside influences of modern-day society. The fine people of the community are working to stop those influences from disturbing their quality of life. For me, it was quite a rewarding and humbling two days and made me realize how much we don't get to learn and experience in one lifetime.
*** On 10/3/00, I had the honor of conducting a three-hour gang training session for the fine men and women of the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Service.
*** Later that afternoon, I conducted a two-hour training session for the Boys and Girls Club of Canada focusing on prevention and intervention.
*** I was scheduled to conduct training at the National Gang Violence Conference that was held in Anaheim, California August 15-18, 2000. The conference was co-hosted by the California Gang Investigator's Association (CGIA) and the U.S. Department of Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. I was unable to conduct the training due to my commitment to my Department which I proudly carried out during the Democratic National Convention being held in Los Angeles.
*** I completed a five-city tour on behalf of Epress.ca. We exchanged information with law enforcement officials and gang members alike, comparing the gang activity in various cities in Canada and the United States. The goal of the tour was to create a documentary that will inform parents on the symptoms of gang activity and to child-proof kids from joining gangs. The cities on the tour were Winnipeg, Toronto, New York City, Montreal and Ottawa. The tour was held July 10-19, 2000. The Epress site is located at www.epress.ca. We also added a segment we filmed in Los Angeles to complete the documentary. It should be ready in a couple of months.
*** I conducted a class on "The Practical Approach to Working Gangs" on June 21, 2000, as part of the week long State of California Department of Justice (DOJ) Specialized Unit Manager's Training Course that was held in San Diego, California. I was able to share my experiences in working gangs and exchange ideas regarding supervision of a gang unit with other law enforcment supervisors from throughout the State of California.
*** I provided the keynote address and conducted training sessions at the Utah Gang Conference that was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 26-28, 2000. The conference was presented by the good people at the Salt Lake Area Gang Project and was a real success.
*** I conducted training at the California DARE Officers Annual Training Conference held in Long Beach, Calif. April 10-12, 2000. It was a pleasure to spend time with all the dedicated DARE officers in attendance and share my training duties with Sergeant Larry Rael of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. Sergeant Rael, who is also president of the Northen California Gang Investigator's Association, covered information on the gangs in Northern California (Nortenos,14 et al.) while I covered our Southern California gangs (Surenos,13 etc.). The Northern California Gang Investigator's Association is having their annual gang conference in November of 2000 in Monterey, California. When I get the dates, I'll pass them on.
*** I conducted a training session on March 30, 2000 for the Youth Street Gang Seminar that was held at Mohawk College located in the city of Hamilton which is outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There were over 400 law enforcement professionals in attendance and we had a great time. I was also able to take in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Thanks to the good people at Mohawk College and Universal ATM Services for bringing these law enforcement people together.
*** I regularly conduct in-service training for teachers. We focus on the issues surrounding gangs and discuss situations that can occur at any given time. Educators who are out there on the frontlines appreciate the insight.
*** I am involved in the gang training for the Los Angeles Police Department, including recruit, in-service and civilian personnel. We just completed the very first training session for the newly selected Gang Detail personnel on May 8th.
~ I participated in the Boys and Girls Club of America Youth Symposium which was held in Southern California, April 22-24, 1999. I presented a one-hour training session entitled, "Female Gangs", and a three-hour training session entitled, "The Influence of Prison Gangs on the Street".
~ I participated in the Modoc County (California) Teen Conference on April 28, 1999. At this conference, I spoke to high school students on the realities and perils of gang life. As you could imagine due to incident in Littleton, Colorado, much of the discussion was on violence and how it effects teenagers in their everyday lives.
~ On the following day, I conducted eight hours of State of California-POST certified gang training for law enforcement officers from Modoc and Lassen Counties. There were appoximately 45 law enforcement officers in attendance.
~ I traveled to New Jersey in May where I participated in two training sessions at the Criminal Street Gang Awareness and Recognition Seminar sponsored by the New Jersey State Police - Street Gang Unit. The training was held in Morristown, New Jersey, and about 175 law enforcement officers were in attendance. In all the years that I've been conducting gang training, this was one of the best seminars that I've attended. The staff at the New Jersey State Police-Street Gang Unit have really gone out of their way to provide quality training to the law enforcement personnel in their region. The law enforcement officers in New Jersey are fortunate to have the personnel from the New Jersey State Police-Street Gang Unit working with and supporting them.
~ I conducted a training session entitled,
"The Art of Working Gangs", at the 1999 California Gang Investigators Association (CGIA) Conference. I provided insight on the methods and techniques I have developed and learned during my career while working gangs. It is also the basis for a book that I am currently working on that deals with working gangs from the law enforcement professional's perspective. The conference was held in Anaheim, California, July 20-23.
~ I completed two days of gang training for the Center for Positive Prevention Alternatives, Inc., which is located in Stockton, California. They are doing a wonderful job of interacting with the gang members and dealing with the gang problem in the Stockton area. I was extremely impressed with the dedicated individuals I had the opportunity to work with during the two days we spent together in training.
~ I participated in the ninth annual Gang Awareness, Training and Recognition Conference which was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 20-24, 1999. The conference was co-hosted by the New Jersey State Police-Street Gang Unit, the Middle-Atlantic Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN) and the East Coast Gang Investigator's Association (ECGIA). Over 300 law enforcement professionals from throughout the Central and Southern New Jersey area were in attendance. I spent a great week exchanging ideas and information with my brother and sister officers from the New Jersey region. I also enjoyed attending the training myself, which was top level. I tip my hat to all three organizations who are working to make us all better at what we do and safer in how we do it.
~ I presented training sessions on "Hispanic Gangs", "Prison Gangs" and Female Gangs" at the 1999 Southern Yosemite
Gang Awareness Symposium which was held in Bass Lake, California on October 4th through the 8th. The Madera County Department of Corrections hosted the conference where 150 law enforcement professionals were in attendance. (We had a great time barbecuing bologna with the good people from Tulare County)
~ I conducted training at the Northwest Gang Investigator's Association Annual Gang Conference which was held in Portland, Oregon, October 19-22.
~ I provided training at the Criminal Investigative Best Practices Symposium which was held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The symposium was co-hosted by the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Service and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The symposium was held October 25-27, 1999. It was great exchanging information and ideas with fellow law enforcement officers from Canada.
On my homepage, I've included training sessions or speaking engagements that I have scheduled in the near future. Please bear in mind that I am somewhat restricted in my ability to conduct training sessions due to my primary commitment to my Department and to my fellow law enforcement officers working gangs in the Los Angeles area.
If you have any questions, please e/mail me at tomoreno@hotmail.com. All questions and inquiries regarding gangs are welcome. Click Here to Email ME!