The Major Crimes Bureau is made up of people who do the ‘dirty work’, the ones who sit in their cars for hours at a time to watch one person, the ones who dress like a homeless person to blend in. Steve speaks with Sgt. Mike Maher, a 31-year veteran of the LA County Sheriff’s Department. Maher is a Detective Team Sergeant and oversees task forces and operations that tackle things like Murder for Hire, Bank Robberies, Threats on Public Officials, Kidnap for Ransom, and Organized Crime. This episode is part of the ongoing “Crime Fighter Series” which highlights those people and agencies that help prevent and solve crime.
Click here to watch the video version of the entire interview - videotaped live at Morton's Steakhouse in Burbank.
Click here to read the transcript of the entire interview.
Here’s a look at Sgt. Maher’s history with the LA County Sheriff’s Department:
1991 to 1997- LA County Jail System at the Pitchess Detention Center (Wayside).
Steve shadows LA County Sheriff’s deputies as they use body cams for the first time.
1997 to 2005- Patrol Deputy and Detective at Century Station, in South Los Angeles/Lynwood. During these years Maher worked many assignments, including Field Training Officer, Gang Enforcement, Crime Impact Team (in Compton) and ultimately Station Detective.
2005 to 2006- Narcotics Investigator assigned to East Los Angeles Station
2007- Assigned as the Deputy Liaison to the County Board of Supervisors
2007 to 2009- Assigned to Office of the Sheriff as direct security to the LA County Sheriff
Steve Gregory does a ride a-long with the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s marine unit as they do cargo ship patrols
2009 to 2010- Promoted to Sergeant and assigned to Lennox Station field operation (patrol) in South Los Angeles. Remained at Lennox Station thru its transitions into the newly constructed South Los Angeles Sheriff Station.
2010 to 2022 – Detective Team Sergeant at Major Crimes Bureau (MCB), working the Metro Detail. Metro Detail primarily handles significant, complex, and noteworthy investigations such Murder for Hire, Bank Robberies, Threats on Public Officials, Kidnap for Ransom, Pattern/Series crimes, Organized Crime, and others. Maher’s primary assignment was to assist in creating a Task Force to combat the increasing trend of organized gangs working together to commit residential burglaries and home invasion robberies. The team, the Burglary-Robbery Task Force (BRTF), has been highly successful making over 1000 arrest since 2010, comprising mostly of violent felonies “in-progress” perpetrated by primarily career offenders. The BRTF, over the past several years, has a close partnership with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The BRTF is a component of the FBIs’ Los Angeles Violent Crime Task Force.
Sgt. Maher will retire in the summer of 2022.
EPISODE 202 OF "UNSOLVED WITH STEVE GREGORY" AIRED ON SATURDAY APRIL 9TH, 2022 FROM 8 PM - 10 PM ON KFI-AM 640