Bay Area High-Tech Crimes Unit Secures Funding
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - Members of the Bay Area's high-tech crimes task force will be able to keep their badges for at least another year.
State funding was in doubt for the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer team, better known as REACT, but it has been secured for one more year.
KCBS' Mike Colgan:
REACT, formed in 1997, has solved numerous technology-related crimes over the years including February's multi-million dollar theft of computer chips from Fremont-based Unigen Corp.
Project Director Lt. Mike Sterner said the $2.1 million it takes to fund the unit is money well spent, especially when considering the Unigen robbery, which was the largest of its kind in the Bay Area.
"In that robbery, armed men invaded the warehouse of Unigen and took $37 million dollars worth of memory chips," Sterner said.
"Based on our investigation, we were able to recover $36 million of that product. So in that case alone we far exceeded the value of that $2 million budget."
With the huge increase in identity thefts, Sterner said there is a growing need for REACT.
"And in fact with the state of the economy, people out of work, the argument can be made that we're just going to see an increase in these crimes as times go on," he said.
Sterner said he's hopeful he will be able to restore six of the 16 investigators he lost due to funding shortfalls.
REACT is part of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
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