Director of Technology
RTC Advisory Committee Member
Office: (888) 782-4969
oberger@thertc.org

Owen Berger is a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and has ten years of law enforcement experience. Owen’s experience with the LAPD started in a uniform patrol assignment, then an assignment with a divisional Narcotics Enforcement Detail where he conducted complex narcotics investigations. After his stint in narcotics, he moved to a Crime Suppression Detail, which involved finding and preventing crime in specific geographic areas, including narcotics-related crime, serial robberies and burglaries, shootings, and gang-related crime.

Currently, Owen works for the Cyber Support Unit (CSU), of which he was a founding member. This unit assists department detectives with any criminal investigation that has ties to, or evidence on, Social Media and the Internet. The CSU is also responsible for situational awareness and community engagement through Social Media. Owen is one of the few court-qualified experts on Social Media in the State of California, and has testified as a foundation witness in several homicide trials. Owen was part of the Social Media development process for the LAPD, which included helping to craft policy, guidelines, and training for the entire department. With his assistance, the CSU has grown to twelve officers throughout the southern geographical bureau and almost sixty throughout the city of Los Angeles.

Owen utilizes his unique work experience to teach computer and Social Media investigations to various sworn and civilian personnel in California and across the country. Owen is currently a lead instructor for a non-profit – California Multi-Agency Support Services (Cal-Mass). Cal-Mass assists local, state, and federal agencies with technical training and highly technical investigations, both in person and online. Among the organizations for which Owen teaches high-tech investigations are the California Peace Officers’ Association, the San Diego Regional Training Center, and the Police Officers’ Association of Los Angeles County.

During his tenure, Owen earned certification as a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) advanced instructor. He is also a certified instructor for the Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigations (ICI). Owen is currently enrolled in the POST Master Instructor Certification course (MICC), Class No. 8.