The officers repeatedly ordered Mitchell to get out of the car, but he did not comply, according to the report. The council, however, is opting instead to rely on other models of police oversight including Police Chief Jeremiah Harts recently established Advisory Board, an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into allegations of TPD officer misconduct, and a soon-to-be established statewide oversight board which they said will provide ample opportunity for departmental reform moving forward. The department would not comment on citizen complaints against police beyond saying that it investigated 34 of them in 1993, sustaining 23. PROOF OF SERVICE Executed by Plaintiff Robert Thomson, upon Defendant Torrance Police Department served on 8/2/2011, answer due 8/23/2011. According to their attorney, they were not cited. They say, in their complaint, that during a protest in the city council chambers against the Torrances handling of Mitchells death, police officers used excessive force against them, resulting in numerous injuries including, the complaint says, a fractured vertebrae for White and a partially amputated finger for Pesikov. The complaints against Torrance allege a more intense racism. The answer, according to the caption, was to break a tail light on his car so the police will stop him and shoot him., Someone else sent a picture of a candy cane, a Christmas tree ornament, a star for the top of the tree and an enslaved person.. Simpson case, the downfall of Orange County Sheriff-turned felon Michael S. Carona and the use of unauthorized drugs by Olympian Carl Lewis. 1 3 are answered and 4 is No. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires. The Times did not independently view documentation of racist text messages sent by any of those four officers, though the newspaper did review a document that showed Concannon sent messages that are part of the investigation. Its unclear what the results of that investigation will require the TPD to do, or how those changes may be enforced once the investigation is complete. Attorneys for Weldin and Tomsic did not return messages seeking comment. The fate of two former Torrance police officers may rest Monday with a Superior Court judge who has been asked to throw out evidence that the officers shared racist and homophobic text messages. We have a group of officers who, apparently in addition to harboring very biased and racist beliefs, also may be engaging in inappropriate force that could be illegal in some cases, he said. Out of hundreds of pages of documents, the judge allowed the Rastello familys attorneys to present 14 cases of alleged misconduct that resulted in little or no punishment, including an off-duty officer who fired 22 shots at a car, many of them out the window of his personal vehicle; a lieutenant who allegedly molested several children; evidence of rapes and beatings by officers, and officers driving drunk while on duty. Without that officer, you couldnt prove that case.. His stories have led to the closure of a chain of badly-run group homes, the end of a state program that placed criminals in inappropriate public jobs and the creation of a civilian oversight office for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, among other things. I actually made some comments about how, generally, when someone does this kind of stuff, there are bigger patterns of behavior. The caption read hanging with the homies.. In a four-page letter written earlier this month to Superior Court Presiding Judge Daniel J. Buckley, City Manager LeRoy Jackson said the city had complied with the grand jurys recommendation and removed such warnings from its complaint forms and related materials.. Katz said the text messages call into question the credibility of the officers accounts of any past use-of-force incidents involving Black or Latino suspects. When Gascn charged Officer David Chandler with assault in late August for allegedly shooting an armed man in the back, sources told The Times that Chandler was also under investigation as part of the scandal. 3300 Civic Center Dr. What is the total number of citizen complaints (allegations of misconduct) made against your departments officers annually for the last 10 years? Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us. In total, the officers were listed as potential witnesses in nearly 1,400 cases in the last decade, according to district attorneys records The Times obtained through a public records request. TheCalifornia Public Records Actdoes not regulate the use of records obtained from public agencies. According to their lawsuit, the students were driving through Torrance in a 1979 Chevrolet strewn with history and calculus texts. Maybe its a taillight out . You dont hang the star, someone wrote back. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. The council also referenced Senate Bill 2 which will allow the state to decertify police officers who commit serious misconduct, and will establish a statewide oversight board as a reason not to pursue a locally-controlled oversight body. Our members have a right to due process and should be protected from illegal and unnecessary intrusion into their private lives.. The picture above it showed several Black men who had been lynched. District attorneys records reviewed by The Times showed Tomsic sent a slew of racist images and messages, including a picture of former President Reagan feeding a monkey with a caption stating Reagan used to babysit [former President] Obama.. . Transparency of (a) police departments internal operations starts with an effective citizen complaint process, the report found. Grand jury investigation spurs Torrance to, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Grand jury investigation spurs Torrance to change police-complaint forms, Hermosa Beach Police arrest 2 men suspected in shooting attempt, LAPD union wants to hand nonviolent calls over to to unarmed responders, Lunafest returns as a live event in Redondo Beach on March 5, Retired LA Kings star Dustin Brown honored in Hermosa Beach, grand jury report titled Policing the Police, Alpine Village, for decades a German American hub, faces unknown future, Real snow falls at Disneyland not the fake soapy stuff, Is there a problem with paying cash for a car? WebTorrance Police Department Internal Affairs. district attorneys office memo that determined the fatal shooting was justified. Another officer then sat on Ross legs before others were able to bind Ross arms and legs with a hobble restraint.. Sometimes youve got to do things your own damn self, Kawamoto replied, later adding a comment that he wanted to always make Torrance great again, a reference to former President Trumps ubiquitous political slogan. Beverly Hills attorney Howard Price, who represented many of the plaintiffs in the lawsuits, said Friday that the nature of the phone texts made it appear that racism was ingrained in the department. When the motorists asked why they were stopped, they claimed that officers would reply, We do a routine check on new faces in town.. Every time I turn around, somebody has a complaint against them, said Royce Esters, president of the Compton National Assn. (and) until the City Council and the city manager recognize that theres a problem, there wont be a solution.. Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. In both cases, plaintiffs alleged that the officers leveled guns at their heads, tore apart their vehicles with no probable cause and without permission, intentionally and painfully yanked their testicles during body searches and made numerous racist threats. The department has refused to identify them. Torrance Police Department mission is to preserve public safety and quality of life within the City of Torrance, to respond effectively to the changing needs of the community, and to promote mutual respect between the Police Department and the people we serve. Although the current race-related lawsuits have shined a stark and unflattering light on the force, it is not the first time that Torrance police have come under legal scrutiny. The result: citations for a defective turn signal and a passenger not wearing a seat belt, both of which were later dismissed, the suit said. Those people spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could candidly discuss an ongoing investigation. Two of the officers under investigation as part of the scandal Anthony Chavez and Matthew Concannon are also under investigation for the controversial 2018 slaying of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, a Black car theft suspect they fatally shot while he was holding an air rifle. We the Peoplehave aRight to Knowaccording to the Supreme Court of the United States [SCOTUS], past Presidents (of both major political parties), Congress, and the United States Department of Justice. Three years into De Laduranteys tenure, though, critics question whether much has changed. A Justice Department official said the agency broadened its inquiry because of complaints such as those in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in September by three teen-agers with no criminal records who are now students at prestigious East Coast universities. Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline. On July 2, the Torrance City Attorneys Office filed a criminal complaint charging Lena Hernandez, with battery, a violation of California Penal Code Section 242. Torrance police sustained 35 out of 43 internally generated complaints of officer misconduct from 2016 to 2020, Ponegalek said. Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Consolidated Plan: HOME, HOME-American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP), Candidate Registration & Qualification Form, Torrance Police Department Quarterly Reports, Trust Building Campaign - Torrance Police Department Strategic Plan, 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance CA 90503. like this one. While no officers currently face criminal charges in direct relation to the text messages, the racist exchanges have led to the dismissal of at least 85 criminal cases involving the officers implicated in the scandal. MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Certainly, 1994 brought more unwanted attention to the department. We are located at: 3300 Civic Center Dr. Torrance, CA 90503, 3031 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503 | P: (310) 328-5310 | Contact | Login. Dan Mason, Lohren Price and Nicholas Cramer had just celebrated their graduation from a pricey Studio City prep school by taking in a screening of Beverly Hills Cop III. On their way back to Inglewood, where two of the youths lived, they were stopped, ordered from the car at gunpoint, patted down and made to sit cross-legged on the sidewalk while two Torrance officers searched the car for nearly an hour. SB 2 is far reaching and it is another model towards police accountability that we didnt have before in the state, Hart said. Complaints were filed directly with the department because, unlike a number of Southern California cities, including Los Angeles, Torrance has no citizen commission overseeing its Police Department. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 1981 with a bachelor of arts in communication. The broad scope of the racist text conversations, which prosecutors said went on for years, has created a crisis for the Torrance Police Department and could jeopardize hundreds of criminal cases in which the officers either testified or made arrests. One (Torrance officer) said, The white people pay us to keep Mexicans out, said Esparza, a night student at Inglewood High School. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, she served as the Daily Breeze's lead city hall reporter. One should allow 10 days for an agency to comply with a records request. First, three officers were suspended, and now face firing, for allegedly socializing--in uniform and on duty--with strippers at a private Torrance residence. 2. Additionally, they say, investigators allegedly reviewed confidential attorney-client messages on the phones as well as the officers medical information. Torrance Police Chief Joe De Ladurantey calls the boundary a geographic crust and freely acknowledges that his 249 officers patrol it aggressively.. About 13 Torrance officers are on paid leave as the city and the state attorney general investigate the offensive texts, which include jokes about lynchings, gassing Jews and shooting Black men. This project requires us to request data from your department. In another message reviewed by The Times, Alonso complained about the idea of having to work with a gay officer, and said hed straight punch a member of the LGBTQ community, using a common slur for gay men. charged Officer David Chandler with assault in late August for allegedly shooting an armed man in the back, Torrance police officer linked to racist text message scandal is charged in 2018 shooting, similar scandals involving racist text messages among San Francisco officers, More racist text messages uncovered among San Francisco police officers. Part of our responsibilities includes interpreting federal and state laws, as well as departmental policy in determining the release and retrieval of confidential criminal information. Tice and five other party-goers settled a lawsuit against the city for $105,000. . Kawamoto also referred to Black men as savages in the texts, according to district attorneys records reviewed by The Times. Civil rights activists and police watchdog groups claim that the department is among the most Thanks so much for your help with this request! But the blow that many believed would force change in the department came in 1989. Council nixes proposed resident survey on, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Council nixes proposed resident survey on civilian oversight of Torrance Police, Hermosa Beach Police arrest 2 men suspected in shooting attempt, LAPD union wants to hand nonviolent calls over to to unarmed responders, Lunafest returns as a live event in Redondo Beach on March 5, Retired LA Kings star Dustin Brown honored in Hermosa Beach, Ex-Torrance police officers move to suppress use of offensive texts, Torrance officials, police critics differ on new advisory commissions ability to effect change, Police say patrols wont be affected by 13 officers on leave in Torrance, Alpine Village, for decades a German American hub, faces unknown future, Real snow falls at Disneyland not the fake soapy stuff, Is there a problem with paying cash for a car? Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated). with conspiracy and vandalism for allegedly spray-painting a swastika inside a vehicle. The proper administration of law enforcement can be insured only through a highly professional police agency which respects itself and earns the respect of the public. I really appreciate it. . If you wish to file a formal Anyone can request public documents in California, and a purpose does not have to be stated. . The Records Division is a service support unit within the Services Bureau. The officers described the weapon, later determined to be a break barrel air rifle, as pinched between Mitchells legs, though neither alleged he grabbed it or pointed it at them before they opened fire. Torrance was one of four cities surveyed that were not in compliance with that policy, which the state penal code requires. Review comes amidst allegations of excessive force, racist text messages, and other discriminatory misconduct. The department has also hired an The following services are available at the public counter without an appointment: Additional services available only by appointment, or mail-in / drop-off options: 3031 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503 | P: (310) 328-5310 | Contact | Login. According to an investigation by The Times, the theft of 44 guns from an L.A. gun store has spurred a cascade of allegations against LAPD officers and a roiling department scandal. The tape showed them continuing to choke and beat Tice, who is white, well after he became unconscious. It is not unusual for minorities to complain that police harass them with pointless stops in an attempt to discourage them from driving through certain white neighborhoods. Usually, conversations always seemed to circle back to vile insults or depictions of violence against Black people. Torrance police vehicles outside the Gable House Bowl after a shooting in 2019. In addition to Weldin, Tomsic and Chandler, The Times has reviewed district attorneys records detailing racist texts or images shared by six other police officers: Blake Williams, Brian Kawamoto, Joshua Satterfield, Omar Alonso, Christopher Allen-Young and Long Beach Police Officer Maxwell Schroeder, who is a former Torrance police recruit. . The officers also shared instructions on how to tie a noose and a picture of a stuffed animal being lynched inside Torrances police headquarters, according to the documents. A Torrance police officer has been charged with assault for his role in a 2018 shooting. Torrance police sustained 35 out of 43 internally generated complaints of officer misconduct from 2016 to 2020, Ponegalek said. The grand jury found that Torrance was one of only two police departments among those it reviewed that warned complainants that filing a false claim against a police officer is a misdemeanor. The findings were outlined in a grand jury report titled Policing the Police that investigated how the public could make complaints against police officers in a dozen county cities, including Inglewood and Culver City in addition to Torrance. To assist us in achieving this goal, you, as a citizen, can help by letting us know if you have a complaint. 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503. Torrance is no stranger to allegations of racist conduct by its police officers. A lot of times people complain about the lack of local control and how other decision makers far removed are trying to call the shots, Armour said. Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient. The officer has also been implicated in a racist text message scandal involving a dozen other officers. The comments represent a sliver of a trove of racist text messages exchanged by more than a dozen current and former Torrance police officers and recruits. maybe its something else. Gen. Gen. In Torrances 2021 Strategic Plan a report that gathers data from city departments, local businesses and residents via randomized surveys and focus groups to determine what issues to prioritize found that creating an independent oversight commission was listed as a key concern for residents. Sgt. Dunn also received a text message from Weldin apologizing for the damage, the affidavit said. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. The officers were responding to calls from a mall employee who said Ross was walking through the building with a knife, muttering to himself. What constitutes an officer-involved shooting in your department? GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. . Rob Bonta said Wednesday his office will investigate the department in the wake of the scandal. Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. The City Council only considered surveying the community about an oversight commission on March 15 to fulfill the terms of a lawsuit settlement. Youll get pulled over.. The city has doled out millions of dollars in recent years to settle lawsuits charging officers with everything from using excessive force to orchestrating massive cover-ups. City officials report an exceptionally high level of public support for the departments practices, saying that politically conservative Torrance expects and even demands a hard-line approach to law enforcement. From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer, Subject: California Public Records Act Request: Torrance, CA PD Citizen Complaints. The 2017-2018 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury observed in the course of its investigation that effective community relations and public trust can be earned through an open and accessible complaint process.. The Records Division public counter is located in the main lobby of the Police Department. According to the affidavit, obtained by the Southern California News Group, the chain of events started at 4:07 a.m. Jan. 27, 2020, on Maricopa Street, where three men allegedly were stealing boxes from an apartment mail room. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges). Through interviews with sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, public records requests and a review of district attorneys office records, The Times examined some of the contents of the until-now secret texts and identified a dozen Torrance police officers under investigation for exchanging them. If you would like to file a formal complaint for an officer that is not yet listed, please contact us and we will add that individual immediately. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency for LA, San Bernardino counties due to severe winter storms, Alpine Village, for decades a German American hub, faces unknown future, Real snow falls at Disneyland not the fake soapy stuff, Is there a problem with paying cash for a car? Its one of the most exhaustive reviews that one could ever do in the state of California, and its a very important step for us, he added. The sum was upped to $9 million by a judge and the case finally was settled for $6.5 million. Census figures at the same time said 1.7% of Torrance residents were black, 10% were Latino and 22% were Asian. Chavez and Concannon were cleared of wrongdoing by former Dist. Community Lead Officer: 310-618-6389. in communication and M.S. Gascn said the texts are proof that some Torrance officers hate the communities they were hired to serve. for the Advancement of Colored People. Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed. WebThe Torrance Police Department is happy to assist you in obtaining or reviewing any records, documents, or reports to which you are legally entitled. WebNon-Emergency Police Response: (310) 618-5641 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance CA 90503 . Concannon, Chavez and fellow Torrance Police Officers Andrew Kissinger and Enrique Villegas are also under investigation as part of the scandal, according to three people with direct knowledge of the case and a review of district attorneys records. A key purpose for receiving and investigating complaints is to identify law enforcement personnel that frequently or habitually engage in inappropriate behavior, the report said. Sincerely,Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer. 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He graduated from California state University, Fullerton, in 1981 with a Records request and purpose.