Roberto Chacon and Steve Fazio
This has been a year marked by extraordinary occurrences for personnel assigned to Robbery–Homicide Division (RHD). In addition to the “high-profile” cases the division typically investigates, RHD was tasked with taking on additional responsibilities in 2025.
On January 7, RHD personnel were deployed to the Palisades area of West Los Angeles Division to support fire department personnel from across the state as they battled the Palisades Fire. For more than two weeks, RHD detectives set aside their caseload and dedicated their shifts to helping evacuate the affected areas, identifying and locating missing persons, and ultimately processing crime scenes where it was determined that the fire caused a death.
While RHD detectives were deployed to this incident, three reserve police officers assigned to the RHD Cold Case Homicide Unit put their personal lives on hold and volunteered to work alongside RHD detectives. Reserve Officers Steve Fazio, John McCarthy and Ismael “Ish” Moreno dedicated countless hours to providing aid to victims of the Palisades Fire. This included escorting victims out of the fire area, providing traffic control and assisting with crime scene processing. Their actions went above and beyond what is required of them by the Department.
Additionally, in early June, RHD personnel were deployed to Downtown L.A. in response to multiple protests against federal agents conducting immigration raids. The protests eventually turned violent, and civil unrest erupted throughout the city. RHD detectives were on the front lines of these protests for days at a time. Not surprisingly, RHD Reserve Officers John McCarthy and Ismael Moreno volunteered to stand side by side with their full-time counterparts. As difficult and demanding as the job was, and this included taking rocks and bottles while marching through tear gas, John and Ish didn’t miss a step. These officers are truly an asset to the Department.
John McCarthy and Ismael Moreno
Left: John McCarthy. Right: Ismael Moreno