Edgardo Navarro is a commander with the Waukegan (Illinois) Police Department and oversees the operations for the Gang Intelligence Unit (GIU). GIU encompasses all gang and narcotics investigations for the department. Edgar earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Columbia College of Missouri.  He is also a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in Evanston, IL. Edgar has over 21 years of law enforcement experience which began as a Corrections Officer with the Cook County Sherriff’s Office in Chicago. He was then employed by the Waukegan Police Department and started off as a Patrol Officer. Soon after, he moved into the Detective Bureau where he worked a variety of cases to include many homicides. Edgar is fluent in Spanish and was able utilized that skill in his interviews with many Latino street gang members. One particular brutal homicide investigation lead him to Mexico in pursuit of the suspect. Edgar worked with the Jalisco State Police Homicide Unit in Mexico. The homicide suspect was later caught in Mexico and extradited to the United States. Edgar took part in the interview and obtained a confession from the suspect. Edgar was then transferred into the Drug Unit and it was followed by a promotion to Sergeant. He also worked as a supervisor in the street tactical unit (Significant Incident Group), Gang Unit, and the Narcotics Unit. Edgar was then promoted to Commander of the Patrol Division and then to his current assignment as Commander of the GIU.

Edgar has been involved in many long-term investigations utilizing various surveillance techniques and court approved eavesdropping devices. Edgar has also worked in an undercover capacity on numerous cases.  Edgar assisted (former) Congressman Kirk’s advisory board with gang presentations and provided statistics on gang violence in trying to demonstrate the need of federal funding for fighting gangs.  Edgar has been recognized for his hard work by his department, the Lake County (Illinois) States Attorney’s office, federal agencies and community groups.

He was born and raised in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Edgar’s success is about keeping it simple, sharing his experiences, and always willing to listen and adapt to improved ideas.

Street Strategies Seminar Instructor

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