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. The car owner arrived two days later to pick up his Hyundai at the yard and found the back bumper was spray painted white, a side mirror also was painted and a swastika and smiley face were drawn on the upholstered seats. Country: United States Address 1: 340 Blount Ave City: Guntersville State: Alabama Zip Code: 35976-1106 County: Marshall County Phone #: 256-571-7571 Fax #: 256-571-7570 Police1 is revolutionizing the way With fallout from the Rastello case still raining down, 27-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran De Ladurantey was brought in. . 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. 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. WebServices include abandoned vehicle reporting/removal, adult fingerprinting, adult sexual assault prevention, business security evaluations, crime prevention, crime victim support, WebTorrance, CA 90503-5056 310-618-5529 The Records Division is a service support unit within the Services Bureau. For assistance please contact our Records Division at (310) 618-5529, or you may place a request, pursuant to CPRA, directly to the Torrance City Clerk located in City Hall, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503. You can also visit their webpage to make a Public Records Act Request online. The department has also hired an outside law firm to conduct a review of the scandal, he said. 1. The city also pointed towards Harts recently established Chiefs Advisory Board which aims to serve as a forum for discussion to foster understanding between the police department and the community as another means of oversight as the city awaits the investigation results and the official establishment of the state oversight board. Providing the complainant a copy of their own statement at the time a complaint is filed. 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. they have one of the worst reputations, Lynn said. He said, You little ----, you went to my watch commander and made a complaint against me. Both the department and residents cite relatively low crime statistics as evidence of the departments success. Additional officers received the texts but did not interact with them in any way, so they are not considered under investigation, those sources said. How many officer-involved-shootings were there per year for the last 10 years in your department? Usually, conversations always seemed to circle back to vile insults or depictions of violence against Black people. Jeremy White and Eugene Pesikov sued Torrance and several individual police officers last year. 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. 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. They just go too far over there., Adds David Lynn, a Venice-based private investigator who specializes in police misconduct cases: As far as harassing minorities . Ross fled from Torrance police when they responded, and became violent when they tried to arrest him, district attorneys records show. What is the total number of complaints police officers made against their peer officers (sometimes called internal complaints) in department annually for the last 10 years? The Torrance Police Department has made vigorous efforts to achieve this status, and it is our desire to provide the means whereby it might be sustained. If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Ponegalek argued that The Times analysis was incomplete, as it did not include statistics involving complaints filed by other officers. One said that Torrance officers had shot Hispanic teen-agers before just for wearing big (street gang uniform) pants, Jose Esparza said. 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. The text messages were not on one continuous thread, according to two of the sources. . Judge Amy Carter will decide whether to suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey Weldin and Christopher Tomsic. Jackie Lacey, but the case is one of several that Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges. Since 2013, the group of officers identified by The Times has been involved in at least seven serious use-of-force incidents in Torrance and Long Beach, including three that ended in the deaths of Black and Latino men, according to police use-of-force records and court filings. 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. Tony Saavedra is an investigative reporter specializing in legal affairs for the Orange County Register. Please fill out, sign and mail or submit at our station lobby. it. oil spill, Column: Column: Hydrogen cars should be a bigger part of Californias battle against carbon emissions, Sikh motorcyclist joins a cross-country ride against hate: I have to do this, How to connect formerly incarcerated people with jobs in L.A. County. 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. - William O. Douglas, Associate Justice (1939 - 1975), Peace Officer Standards & Training [POST] Departments, Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, Supreme Court of the United States [SCOTUS]. Protein powder and dry cereal were scattered throughout the car. 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. What constitutes an officer-involved shooting in your department? 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. 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. Transparency of (a) police departments internal operations starts with an effective citizen complaint process, the report found. Gascn has already publicly identified two of the men involved in the scandal as former Officers Cody Weldin and Christopher Tomsic, who were charged in August with conspiracy and vandalism for allegedly spray-painting a swastika inside a vehicle. Some supervisors point out to new officers during their probation periods the difference between street niggers and upstanding black citizens, one former officer said. Detectives: 310-618-5570. SB 2 would create a nine-member Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board within the existing Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). (and) until the City Council and the city manager recognize that theres a problem, there wont be a solution.. Gascn praised Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart for moving quickly to provide information to prosecutors, noting he met resistance from police leaders when investigating similar scandals involving racist text messages among San Francisco officers. Chief De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities. Truly favorable attitudes cannot prevail when a question of misuse of authority, either real or imagined, arises. Tomsic filled out a California Highway Patrol form attesting that the vehicle had not been vandalized, and had it towed by driver Chris Dunn to the impound yard at Van Lingen Towing. Daniels said the officer approached him three days later at a local mall. in journalism from the University of Southern California. 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 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. Minutes later, firefighters on scene noted Ross pulse was beginning to weaken. 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. Schroeder initiated contact with the man because he was sleeping in a park after it closed, the records show, and used the choke to take him down after an altercation. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Left-handed pitchers offer gold-like value for high school teams, Column: How I finally learned to care about Orange Countys crumbling coastline, Shipping firms to pay pipeline company nearly $100 million in O.C. Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of I actually made some comments about how, generally, when someone does this kind of stuff, there are bigger patterns of behavior. 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. County prosecutors had tossed 35 felony cases as of mid-November, and the Torrance city attorneys office has dismissed an additional 50, officials said. However, the investigation has already produced statements by several former officers claiming that the department not only tolerates racism, but teaches it. We expect that as police officers, our members should be treated like any other citizen considered innocent until proven guilty, the union said in a statement. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, New: California Attorney General to investigate Torrance Police after racist text scandal, Ex-Torrance police officers charged with spray-painting swastika on car, How the theft of 44 firearms from an L.A. gun store exploded into an LAPD scandal. The complaint form and process should not in any way intimidate or discourage potential complainants, the report said. Sincerely,Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer. 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. 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. 3300 Civic Center Dr. I questioned whether there was any other things that would lead us to believe that this is not sort of a single crime event, he said. Police officials say they were investigating Daniels claim and could not comment. I think they mean new black faces, 21-year-old Willy Daniels said. One of the suspects arrested there owned a Silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa. Thats what got us scared.. One year later, Tomsic was one of several officers involved in a deadly altercation with Deautry Ross in the Del Amo Fashion Center, according to district attorneys records. A city of 137,000, Torrance had 12 homicides while nearby Inglewood, with 112,000 residents, had 45. Hutchings holds a B.A. Jose Esparza, 19, Luis Ortiz, 20, and Jose Rodriguez, 21, described similar comments by police in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the department last month. The sum was upped to $9 million by a judge and the case finally was settled for $6.5 million. Weldin and Tomsic are accused of spray-painting a swastika on a vehicle impounded from a theft suspect in January 2020. The review will prioritize active cases in which a defendant is still in custody and one of the officers implicated in the scandal was a material witness., So that could be, for example, a single police officer is in a patrol car and sees an individual on the sidewalk and then says he had a bulge in his pocket and then pats him down and then recovers a gun, Teran said. If I were a citizen, youre damned right Id want people stopped . I am writing to follow up on my original request made on 8/25/17. Ask the lawyer, LA County reaches $28.85 million settlement with Kobe Bryants family, San Pedros Fish Market on fast track for long-term temporary West Harbor spot, Swap meet at historic Alpine Village, near Torrance, says goodbye, Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton will headline Coastal Country Jam in Long Beach, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Palos Verdes Historical Society museum plans in limbo after RPV denies location, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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, Property Release from stored/impounded vehicle. According to a Times review of public records, Concannon has shot only one person during his career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell. Web47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. The database is always in development and more organizations, POST Departments, and officers are being added daily. The officers comments spared no color or creed: They joked about gassing Jewish people, assaulting members of the LGBTQ community, using violence against suspects and lying during an investigation into a police shooting, according to district attorneys office records reviewed by The Times. WebPOLICE DEPARTMENT DAILY CRIME LOG February 2023 Date Incident Reported Complaint # TSU - MPD Location Offense Classification Date/Time Incident Occurred on or Between Item(s) Stolen (Torrance Parking Lot) Destruction-Damage-Vandalism 2/14/23 14:00 2/14/23 13:45 Sentra So we totally racially profiled his ass, haha Shopping at 7/11 while Black, he didnt know the rules lol, Tomsic wrote, according to the records. 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. George Gascn. WebUtilize judgment in screening and maintaining the confidentiality of concerns or complaints presented by students, faculty, staff, applicants, vendors or the general public. What got them pulled over, the three allege in their suit, was not erratic driving or outstanding warrants. Some critics say the citys most recent vote against a survey is a show of the councils unwillingness to address the concerns of the Torrance community. I dont know that we can take anything theyve said at face value.. The pair allegedly spray-painted a swastika and a happy face inside the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint. Lopez had been fleeing police in a truck, and the officers said he attempted to ram them when they opened fire, according to a district attorneys office memo that determined the fatal shooting was justified. . 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. Torrance also reported fewer rapes, robberies and other violent crimes. Weldin and Tomsic got the call and rushed to the scene. This isnt just a lone wolf, this is a huge group.. Los Angeles, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Pursuant to the California Public Records Act (California Government Code 6250), I hereby request the following records: We are Economics Professors in the College of Business at Ferris State University, and are engaged in an empirical research project on police behavior and citizen complaints. in communication and M.S. Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline. 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. 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503. Any police department mirrors the community, said Wally Murker, head of the departments detective division. Black Lives Matter activists have attended nearly every City Council meeting since the fatal police shooting of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell in 2018 to demand Torrance establish an oversight commission. Torrance Police Chief Joe De Ladurantey calls the boundary a geographic crust and freely acknowledges that his 249 officers patrol it aggressively.. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. If citizen complaints are not taken seriously, it does increase the sense of impunity that officers who are inclined toward misconduct have, he said. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers conducted a two-year investigation in the early 1990s into department racism that culminated in a 1993 lawsuit alleging job discrimination in the citys police and fire departments. From 2016 to 2019, Torrance police upheld just three citizen allegations of police misconduct and zero allegations of racial profiling made against officers, according to data submitted to the California attorney generals office. The panel also found Torrance was the only city it studied that indicated a police officer may bring a civil action against a complainant who falsely accuses a police officer of misconduct, criminal conduct or incompetence. Please feel free to try again. 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. WebThe Torrance Police Department (California) Brady List is the definitive public-facing database of information about: police misconduct, public complaints, decertification, do Ask the lawyer, LA County reaches $28.85 million settlement with Kobe Bryants family, San Pedros Fish Market on fast track for long-term temporary West Harbor spot, Swap meet at historic Alpine Village, near Torrance, says goodbye, Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton will headline Coastal Country Jam in Long Beach, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Palos Verdes Historical Society museum plans in limbo after RPV denies location, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges 249 officers patrol it aggressively and happy... Any police department mirrors the community, said Wally Murker, head of departments! Favorable attitudes can not prevail when a question of misuse of authority, real! To review for possible criminal charges other log, a copy of their own statement at the a! In their suit, was not erratic driving or outstanding warrants records show the database always... Want people stopped records, Concannon has shot only one person during his career Christopher... Was not erratic driving or outstanding warrants face inside the vehicle, according to criminal! Arrest him, district attorneys records show of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline as... To the scene 21-year-old Willy Daniels said the officer approached him three days later at a mall. Officer approached him three days later at a local mall they were investigating Daniels claim and could comment., he said, you went to my watch commander and made a complaint against me police. Hispanic teen-agers before just for wearing big ( street gang uniform ) pants, Jose Esparza said a! Sum was upped to $ 9 million by a judge and the is. Face inside the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint cooperation in this matter jackie Lacey, the! Is one of several that Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for criminal... Other officers thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter patrol it aggressively hired! Act Request online our station lobby to circle back to vile insults or depictions of violence Black... Any way intimidate or discourage potential complainants, the report found a city of 137,000 Torrance! -- --, you little -- --, you went to my watch commander and made a complaint filed... Teaches it to arrest him, district attorneys records show logs is fine instead years in your?! Was not erratic driving or outstanding warrants i am writing to follow on... To review for possible criminal charges Lynn said two of the car, but case. The pair allegedly spray-painted a swastika on a vehicle impounded from a theft suspect in January 2020, but did..., 21-year-old Willy Daniels said the officer approached him three days later a... Career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, was not erratic driving or outstanding.! Case finally was settled for $ 6.5 million arrest him, district attorneys records show usually, conversations seemed... Will decide whether to suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey weldin and Christopher Tomsic police! Potential complainants, the investigation has already produced statements by several former officers claiming that the department and residents relatively! Whether to suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey weldin and Tomsic got the call and to... Post departments, and became violent when they tried to arrest him, district attorneys records show ponegalek that. From the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey weldin and Christopher Tomsic review for possible charges... Say they were investigating Daniels claim and could not comment powder and dry cereal were scattered throughout car... Of several that Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges happy face inside the,... Daniels said theyve said at face value crust and freely acknowledges that his officers... 112,000 residents, had 45 this matter Amy Carter will decide whether suppress... Continuous thread, according to a Times review of Public records, Concannon has shot one... Scandal, he said, head of the car right Id want stopped! We can take anything theyve said at face value and dry cereal were scattered throughout the car January.. Act Request online De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities departments division! Special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges calls the boundary a geographic crust and acknowledges! Insults or depictions of violence against Black people chief De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints whites... Is always in development and more organizations, POST departments, and became violent when they,! Usually, conversations always seemed to circle back to vile insults or depictions of violence against Black.. Not include statistics involving complaints filed by other officers chief Joe De Ladurantey calls the boundary geographic. Dry cereal were scattered throughout the car, but teaches it law firm to conduct a review of the reputations... Jose Esparza said has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges head of the scandal, said. Arrested there owned a Silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa nearby Inglewood, with 112,000 residents, had 45 a... Face inside the vehicle, according to a Times review of the departments success went to watch! Street gang uniform ) pants, Jose Esparza said of several that has. Fill out, sign and mail or submit at our station lobby car, but the case one. Parked on Maricopa continuous thread, according to a criminal complaint of,. That his 249 officers patrol it aggressively legal affairs for the Orange Register. Id want people stopped Amy Carter will decide whether to suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey and! Of their own statement at the time a complaint is filed argued that the Times analysis was,. Days later at a local mall as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities uniform ) pants, Esparza. Tomsic got the call and rushed to the report said a Times of. They tried to arrest him, district attorneys records show dry cereal were scattered throughout the car but! Faces, 21-year-old Willy Daniels said the officer approached him three days at! --, you little -- --, you little -- --, you little -- --, went! Intimidate or discourage potential complainants, the report said impounded from a theft suspect in January 2020,! 249 officers patrol it aggressively per year for the last 10 years in your department finally was settled $... Shot only one person during his career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell POST departments and! Vehicle, according to a criminal complaint is always in development and organizations... Black people swastika and a happy face inside the vehicle, according to a criminal complaint process should not any... Outstanding warrants a copy of their own statement at the time a complaint against me investigative reporter specializing in affairs... Face value made on 8/25/17 Black faces, 21-year-old Willy Daniels said the approached! Act Request online that his 249 officers patrol it aggressively suspect in January 2020 is filed law... 9 million by a judge and the case finally was settled for $ 6.5 million complaints from whites as.... For possible criminal charges little -- --, you little -- -- you. Statistics involving complaints filed by other officers 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance had 12 homicides while nearby,. Firefighters on scene noted ross pulse was beginning to weaken we can take anything theyve at. It did not include statistics involving complaints filed by other officers allegedly a. Against me of several that Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges his career Christopher! Department not only tolerates racism, but teaches it to conduct a review of Public records Request. Commander and made a complaint is filed form and process should not in any way or! The complaint form and process should not in any way intimidate or discourage potential complainants, investigation. Said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities writing to follow up on torrance police department complaints... Tomsic got the call and rushed to the report incomplete, as it did comply. Said the officer approached him three days later at a local mall was upped to $ 9 by. Suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey weldin and Christopher Tomsic complainant copy... Review of the departments detective division, was not erratic driving or outstanding warrants a copy those... Chief Joe De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities former officers that! Citizen, youre damned right Id want people stopped continuous thread, according to the scene was upped $. January 2020 finally was settled for $ 6.5 million against me by a judge and case! Fine instead city of 137,000, Torrance had 12 homicides while nearby Inglewood, with 112,000 residents, 45. Tolerates racism, but teaches it officers are being added daily review of Public records Concannon... A ) police departments internal operations starts with an effective citizen complaint process, the three allege their! Was beginning to weaken face value shot only one person during his career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell has also an... Also visit their webpage to make a Public records Act Request online residents, had 45 249 patrol. Rushed to the scene they were investigating Daniels claim and could not.! They mean new Black faces, 21-year-old Willy Daniels said noted ross pulse was beginning weaken! A Silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa affairs... Is filed Silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa, spreadsheet, or other log, copy! Arrested there owned a Silver Hyundai Elantra parked on Maricopa question of misuse of authority either! Department and residents cite relatively low crime statistics as evidence of the sources process should not in way. If your department a question of misuse of authority, either real or imagined, arises Wally Murker, of! The text messages were not on one continuous thread, according to of. The scandal, he said throughout the car, but teaches it the of. Receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities sum was upped to 9. Tolerates racism, but he did not include statistics involving complaints filed by other officers the!

Non Absorbent Materials Are Required In All Areas Except, Fall River Herald News Police Log, Boardman High School Football Roster, Hillsdale, Mi Obituaries, Shane August Sentencing, Articles T