Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team (CATCH)

The Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team CATCH. was formed as part of the California High Technology Crimes Task Force strategy which was created through Senate Bill 1734 in 1998 to help combat computer-related crimes such as network intrusions, computer hacking, theft of trade secrets, counterfeiting and piracy, telecommunications fraud, and theft of high tech related equipment and cargo. There are five regional task forces covering 31 counties within the State of California.

The Riverside CATCH Team is part of the San Diego Regional task force managed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department CATCH task force is comprised of a sergeant, five investigators, a Riverside County Probation Officer, and a Riverside County District Attorney assigned to prosecute cases generated by this team.

CATCH conducts thorough and objective computer crime investigations such as large scale identity theft, internet auction fraud, network intrusions, computer hacking, forensic analysis, and software piracy. It also provides assistance on major investigations such as homicide and cases involving children. These investigations may also be conducted in many municipalities within Riverside and San Diego County that lack the resources to perform their own inquiries.

CATCH concentrates on the apprehension and prosecution of high-technology criminals and protects our citizens from high-tech and identity theft crimes. The program is created on the premise that the ability of law enforcement to properly investigate and prosecute high-technology crimes will be enhanced by a cooperative pooling of resources and knowledge.