Courage and Dedication Help Altadena Station Confront Catastrophic Wildfire

Nothing could have prepared Altadena Station Crime Analyst Virginia Bustos for what she faced on January 8.

The longtime Unit 621 member has been an integral part of the Altadena Station Detective Bureau since 2009. During that time, she has worked with dozens of her sworn brothers and sisters to provide critical case support and help station personnel identify crime patterns, catch crooks and ensure the deputies at her station are fully equipped to fight crime and protect the citizens of Altadena.

Bustos is no stranger to being flexible about her job duties, and indeed, she has had one of the most colorful and interesting careers of any Unit 621 member. She worked for a couple years at the Sherman Block Building (the old Crime Assessment Center for us Department history nerds!), where she learned the ins and outs of the Crime Analyst job. When Altadena Station announced an opening in its Detective Bureau, she updated her already impressive resume and scheduled an interview.

Let me digress … I later learned that we were both interested in the same position.

I had gone on a couple of ride-alongs at Altadena Station from my days as an RTO (PRD) and liked the fast-paced yet small intimacy of the place. Being the history buff that I am, I loved how old the building was and, most of all, welcomed the short commute. By pure coincidence, MTA Line 267 literally ran from in front of my home in Temple City to the front of the station. I could actually ride the bus to work! What a perfect job!

I underestimated how long it would take to get to the station, and in the pouring rain, I wandered into the station lobby soaking wet and 20 minutes late. I passed Virginia in the hallway and thought to myself, “She doesn’t have a chance! I am way more experienced than her,” and was sure I had a lock on the job. Well, the interviewers were not impressed with my plan to take the “267 bus” to work every day and may have been less than impressed that they had to dry themselves off with paper towels due to my failure to bring an umbrella. (Rule #1: Never water your interviewers.)

As you have already guessed, she got the job and recently celebrated 16 years at Altadena. In 2019, she was the guest of the government of the country of Chile, where she spoke on the importance of a 9-1-1 system and how data is used to combat crime. She taught Santiago police personnel many of the same skills she learned as a Crime Analyst with LASD.

The main Eaton fire started on Tuesday, January 7, and as Virginia ventured home, she could see smoke enveloping the 210 Freeway. On Wednesday, the fire got even closer, and the risks continued to grow. Soon, the station power was completely cut off, and she reported to nearby Crescenta Valley Station on Thursday. There, she accessed all available databases to assist Homicide Bureau with the grim task of searching homes for missing persons in the conflagration. She went house by house, cataloging the names of the residents and helping to identify the living and the lost — or worse.

As of this writing, Altadena Station is still without power, and our brave Unit 621 CAs, LETs and Crime Analysts are working tirelessly to serve the community. More on their efforts in future issues.

Questions or comments? Email me at jwalker@ppoa.com.