Detective Corporal Richard Ashby is a 20-year veteran of the Santa Ana Police Department. He has focused his career in the area of gangs as a patrol officer, a member of special details, and as a gang detective. He is a court-recognized expert in Hispanic gangs and has spent twelve years as a detective with the Santa Ana Police Department’s Gang Detail. During those twelve years he worked as a gang suppression detective, investigating all gang related assaults and attempt murders within the city of Santa Ana. He was also assigned to the Santa Ana Gang Homicide Detail, investigating gang related homicides.  In March of 2004 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and supervised the Santa Ana Gang Homicide Detail until February of 2006.

Derrick Watkins and Richard Ashby are the co-authors of Gang Investigations: A Street Cop’s Guide.  According to the book description, the book “provides a step-by-step guide to gang identification, arrest, search and seizure, prosecution, and other programs that have been used successfully by criminal justice agencies nationwide. Anti-gang strategies are discussed along with the results of their implementation.  This guide will better prepare every police officer and detective to deal with the modern street gang. With Watkins’ and Ashby’s knowledge, departments and officers can develop better strategies to curb gang violence and the fear of street terrorists.”