Edna Trigo – Author / Law Enforcement
I am a licensed private investigator, security consultant, speaker, and author. I am also a part-time instructor for the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA). I received my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and a master’s in organizational leadership from National University.
I had the privilege to spend over thirty years in the San Diego County government. In 2014, I retired as a Crime and Intelligence Analyst with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. It was a great career, and I was honored to work alongside a high caliber of individuals to help keep the citizens of San Diego safe.
After one year of retirement, I was fortunate to return to support investigations. Two years later, I was the lead analyst on a major international heroin trafficking case. The case resulted in the multi-jurisdictional and successful take-down of 55 gang members and the removal of 25% of illegal heroin in North San Diego County.
My career in the courts and criminal justice included the District Attorney, Public Defender, and Sheriff’s Department. At the DA’s Office, I was assigned to the Victim Witness Program and advocated for victims of violent crimes. After ten years of assisting in many prosecutions, I took a job as a Criminal Defense Investigator. While at the Department of the Public Defender, I investigated a high-profile school shooting case and received Investigator of the Year in 2002.
Joining the Sheriff’s Department in 2007, brought me to a full circle in the County’s criminal justice arena.
After retiring in 2020, I started a private Investigations and security consulting firm. In 2015, I joined the International Association of Women, (IAW) a professional association to support and network with other like-minded women. I was the IAW San Diego Chapter president for four years and stepped down in 2019 to focus on my book project.
I have a passion to serve and believe in giving back to the community. I have been involved with many non-profits, such as The Princess Project, and currently serve on the boards of the San Diego Writer’s and Editors Guild and Drawing Across the Lines.
My law enforcement training and experience have allowed me to gain the expertise to conduct threat assessments for the public and private sectors.
I am excited to be a new author and working on my debut book, “The Imperfect Storm” which will be released at the end of 2024.
About Edna Trigo
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I am blessed with 3 adult children and 6 grandchildren. I find joy in being an active part of my grandchildren’s lives as much as possible.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
My current career as a private investigator is fulfilling because I can focus on significant cases for those who have no voice. For example, I recently worked on an elder abuse case and now the District Attorney has filed criminal charges. My past career in public safety and law enforcement had been a life-long dream. I was tackling tough cases from school shootings, and cold case homicides to death penalty cases. I also loved the intriguing world of criminal intelligence and was fortunate to be trained at the DEA Academy at Quantico. The training proved to be invaluable in combating organized criminal enterprises, human trafficking as well as counter-terrorism.
My future career is what I’m doing now in security consulting, PI work, speaking at conferences, and continuing to teach a 40-hour course for new criminal intelligence analysts.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Make a difference in your community by giving back or mentoring. The reward is a sense of knowing that you are helping to make our community a wonderful place to live.
For those who want to enter into law enforcement or public safety, I suggest applying for an internship or to be a student worker. Request to go on a ride-along with your local police patrol or shadow a detective or defense investigator. This will give you real-life exposure to what that career looks like.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
My goal is to have my debut book, The Unperfect Storm published and followed by a book series. I want to help make our schools safer for our children. It takes a village, and I want to be part of the solution in preventing school violence.
Read about Edna Trigo at Faces of San Diego
