| Successes earn national award Investigator's youth, ethnicity take law breakers by surprise |
| Perhaps one of
the reasons PEF member Byanca Alejandro is so successful
in what she does is that she's got a clear idea of her
strengths. And she uses those strengths - her fluency in Spanish and her youthful appearance - to full advantage in her job as a senior investigator in the Office of Professional Discipline at the state Education Department in New York City. Alejandro's success was recognized recently with the CLEAR Investigator of the Year Award, a national honor that cited her "creative approach to her undercover roles," her "excellent knowledge of the chain of custody of evidence," and her "superior interrogation techniques." She was honored, in particular, for her work in a sting operation aimed at identifying pharmacies that sell prescription drugs at discount prices to people who don't have a prescription. Before investigators can "put the collar" on a pharmacist or doctor illegally dispensing drugs, someone has to purchase the items. And looking young helps with gaining the trust needed to complete a purchase, according to Alejandro. "That's definitely to my advantage," she says. "I could pass for 18." Also, "I'm Hispanic," she adds. "So, when I go into Spanish-speaking areas, I don't throw them off guard. "I don't look like your typical investigator and 99 percent of the time I can go in and get a buy," she says. There are numerous "mom-and-pop" drug stores in the metropolitan New York area that will sell non-narcotic painkillers under the counter to make some extra cash, Alejandro said. And selling prescription painkillers without authorization is particularly a problem in immigrant neighborhoods. "You have illegal aliens, who don't want to go to doctors for fear of being uncovered, so the next best thing is the neighborhood pharmacy," she says. In many cases, it's doctors and dentists who are dispensing the prescription drugs illegally to members of their own culture, she said. December will mark Alejandro's seventh year in her position. She started as a per-diem undercover investigator who was used "only when they needed a Spanish-speaking undercover," she says. But soon, the high volume of cases prompted her being hired full-time. PEF Executive Board Member Bill Sachs, also a senior investigator at the Office of Professional Discipline, said the Investigator of the Year Award was a real achievement for Alejandro. "It should be a heads-up for the state to realize the quality of work our members do every day," Sachs says. A graduate of the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York City, Alejandro never strayed from the field of criminal justice. "It's something I've always been attracted to," she says. "It's my calling." |