PASADENA, Calif.—When Caltech security officers approached a couple of guys trying to force their way into a campus building, they had no idea that their actions would lead to cracking a Southland burglary ring. Now the officers are being commended for their efforts with the annual Award of Merit from the California College and University Police Chiefs Association.
Caltech officers Doni Harrelson, Augustine Valadez, and Ivan Gaor will be presented the honor at an April 13 ceremony in South Lake Tahoe, says Gregg Henderson, head of Caltech Security.
"I'm extremely proud of the entire organization and their commitment to making Caltech a safe place," Henderson says. "What these three did exemplifies what the entire force does."
The incident began one day last fall when Harrelson spotted two men wandering the campus. She was aware that several campus buildings had been burglarized recently, so she decided to tail the suspects and see what they were up to.
Harrelson then contacted her partner, Gaor, and also radioed Valadez, who was on foot patrol at the time. Minutes later, the three confronted the two suspects who were trying to jimmy open the basement door of a building. One of the suspects ran away, but the security officers held the second for Pasadena police. The one who ran was later caught off campus, and Pasadena Police discovered that the two suspects and a third person were linked to at least 30 burglaries in Monrovia, Arcadia, Pasadena, and possibly as far away as the state of Colorado.
Henderson says the security officers went the "extra mile" by watching and gathering information, which lead to the arrest and subsequently aided in cracking a burglary ring that had thus far escaped prosecution.
William Heim, an investigator with Caltech Security, added that the three officers' efforts "are to be celebrated as outstanding cooperation and collaboration among coworkers, and are an example to fellow officers."
