Armour said its unlikely that misconduct reminiscent of the TPD texting scandal would ever make it to a state oversight board without a more localized oversight commission that is equipped to keep a close watch on the departments policies and procedures. However, the investigation has already produced statements by several former officers claiming that the department not only tolerates racism, but teaches it. MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests . Morgan Ricketts, the attorney for Pesikov and White, said the councils vote was deeply disappointing., The city of Torrance doesnt even want to know what its own residents think about this issue, she said, and I think that was a fair compromise between the parties.. Which one doesnt belong? the caption asked. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton, in 1981 with a bachelor of arts in communication. Atty. The database is always in development and more organizations, POST Departments, and officers are being added daily. Hutchings holds a B.A. Torrance Police Department is notin compliancewith: This information has been curated by journalists andprivate citizens; and, this platform is available as-a-service to allPeace Officer Standards & Training [POST] Departments,Prosecutors, andLaw Enforcement Organizations [LEOrgs]. 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. This is a brand new process for the state of California, and I think we have to see how it plays out, Councilmember Heidi Ann Ashcraft said in an interview Wednesday. 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. Concannon and Chavez pulled in behind him, exited their vehicle and yelled police! Mitchell initially placed his hands on the steering wheel, according to the memo, but when the officers approached him, they noticed his hands move toward his lap where Concannon saw what he believed to be a firearm. In the course of my work I regularly defend police officers and police policy, Cramer wrote. Now every time I see you, Im going to arrest you, Daniels recalled. According to district attorneys records reviewed by The Times, Concannon once sent a troubling text message referring to a deposition he gave in an officer-involved shooting., They believed our lies. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. 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. Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert did not respond to repeated calls and e-mails seeking information about the criminal case against the homeless man. Schroeder used a carotid restraint hold sometimes referred to as a blood choke to subdue a homeless Black man in a park in November 2018, according to Long Beach police records The Times obtained through a public records request. . Daniels said the officer approached him three days later at a local mall. Kristy Hutchings covers all things Long Beach including local government, politics, and the environment. Gascn said the texts are proof that some Torrance officers hate the communities they were hired to serve. Torrance Police Chief Joe De Ladurantey calls the boundary a geographic crust and freely acknowledges that his 249 officers patrol it aggressively.. Certainly, 1994 brought more unwanted attention to the department. Compton, with a population of just 96,000, recorded 62 killings during the same period. In Torrance, the Police and Fire Departments costs make up 65% of the citys general fund budget. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. 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. 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 identities of all 13 officers named in this article were confirmed by three people with direct knowledge of the case and by reviewing district attorneys records that detailed some of the officers comments. George Gascn. The warrant was obtained in March that year with an affidavit that lays out the genesis of the text debacle that has made national headlines. 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. Daniels, who is black, moved to Torrance from Michigan this summer to pursue an acting career, and claims that he was pulled over seven times in three months yet never cited. Its a deep-seated cultural problem, Price said. 1. The other cities have reached agreements with the government, offering payments to a few African Americans and Asian Americans who were denied jobs. The city indicated the forms previously only available at the Police Department can now be found in the City Clerks Office and City Hall lobby as well. 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.. 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. The Records Division is a service support unit within the Services Bureau. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. 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. The department has also hired an outside law firm to conduct a review of the scandal, he said. Towing Services (Van Lingen): 310-370-4533 / 310-326-9220, Torrance Mental Evaluation Team: 310-618-5683, 3031 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503 | P: (310) 328-5310 | Contact | Login. If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Please fill out, sign and mail or submit at our station lobby. The ACLU observed the law was the only one of its kind in the nation to give police officers a special right to sue complainants, the jury said. What they found has resulted in a black eye for the Torrance Police Department. 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. 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. 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. Civil rights activists and police watchdog groups claim that the department is among the most GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. . Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient. Changes need to be made in the Torrance Police Department, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said this week in announcing an independent investigation into the text messages. First, three officers were suspended, and now face firing, for allegedly socializing--in uniform and on duty--with strippers at a private Torrance residence. Some individuals may be reluctant to file a complaint for fear of reprisal from the officer or officers they are complaining against or the police department itself, the grand jury report added. Improving the availability of complaint forms to the public by making them available in multiple locations with clear signage indicating where they specifically can be found. for having expired tags, for having a taillight out. Simple traffic stops often result in crimes being solved and wanted criminals apprehended, he added. 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. 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? 3. Community Lead Officer: 310-618-6389. One should allow 10 days for an agency to comply with a records request. . As such, we do not have access to facts of the underlying investigation, or the alleged inappropriate materials. When the motorists asked why they were stopped, they claimed that officers would reply, We do a routine check on new faces in town.. With fallout from the Rastello case still raining down, 27-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran De Ladurantey was brought in. Long Beach police officials determined the use of force was justified, the records show. The two officers responded to a report of mail theft in the South Bay city and directed a car linked to the crime to be towed from the scene, authorities 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. The Times identified 13 officers in its investigation, including Tomsic, Weldin and Schroeder, meaning there are an additional five Torrance officers under investigation whose identities remain unknown to the public. Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges. 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. From: Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer, Subject: California Public Records Act Request: Torrance, CA PD Citizen Complaints. If you wish to file a formal complaint, it will be necessary for you to complete a personnel complaint form (provided below). 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 WebThe Torrance Police Department is happy to assist you in obtaining or reviewing any records, documents, or reports to which you are legally entitled. . He eventually went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. Daniels claims that one officer made racial threats during such a stop, and Daniels made a formal complaint against him. Your complaint will be quickly, professionally, and objectively investigated in order to arrive at an appropriate conclusion. in which police officers believe a white boy traveling with two blacks is unusual, or an indication of potential crime., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? The cost for an oversight commission in Torrance varies heavily depending on what type of model the city would opt for. Please find attached the information requested in your email. Mitchell, who was Black, was suspected of driving a stolen vehicle when he pulled into a Ralphs parking lot in Torrance in December 2018, according to a district attorneys office memo clearing the officers of wrongdoing. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Torrance--as well as others against El Monte, Alhambra and Pomona--claiming that the police and fire departments discriminated against minorities during hiring. He said, You little ----, you went to my watch commander and made a complaint against me. 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. WebGARDENA POLICE DEPARTMENT - 20 Photos & 43 Reviews - 1718 W 162nd St, Gardena, CA - Yelp Restaurants Home Services Auto Services Gardena Police Department 43 reviews Unclaimed Police Departments Edit Write a review Add photo Save Photos & videos See all 20 photos Add photo Review Highlights Medical examiners ruled Ross died of cardiac arrest resulting from methamphetamine use and his struggle with the officers, according to autopsy records. Jeremy White and Eugene Pesikov sued Torrance and several individual police officers last year. Minutes later, firefighters on scene noted Ross pulse was beginning to weaken. Frequently, hateful comments were targeted at Black people. Please explain to us how your department classifies the OIS included in the numbers you sent to us. Chief De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities. 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. Im not going to tell you were not going to take some heat from time to time, but I think even good departments do that, Mayor Dee Hardison said. The text messages were not on one continuous thread, according to two of the sources. Records operates on a round-the-clock basis, performing numerous tasks aiding our department, other law enforcement agencies, and the general public to gain access to necessary records. The complaints against Torrance allege a more intense racism. Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. Any police department mirrors the community, said Wally Murker, head of the departments detective division. Society wins not only when the guilty are convicted but when criminal trials are fair; our system of the administration of justice suffers when any accused is treated unfairly. TheCalifornia Public Records Actis a series of laws meant to guarantee that the public has access to public records of governmental bodies in California. At certain levels noises are Ex-Torrance police officers move to suppress, 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), Ex-Torrance police officers move to suppress use of offensive texts, Hermosa Beach Police arrest 2 men suspected in shooting attempt, LA County serial rapist sentenced to 310 years in prison, Man wrongly imprisoned for decades declared innocent in killing of woman in Inglewood, Gov. Ponegalek argued that The Times analysis was incomplete, as it did not include statistics involving complaints filed by other officers. Additional officers received the texts but did not interact with them in any way, so they are not considered under investigation, those sources said. 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. Every time I turn around, somebody has a complaint against them, said Royce Esters, president of the Compton National Assn. That number did not include Tomsic, Weldin, or Schroeder, he said. Jackie Lacey, but the case is one of several that Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges. . According to the district attorneys records reviewed by The Times, Schroeder sent one message in the texts reading No Jews, No Blacks, and made racist remarks about a child eating a watermelon. All the while, the city contended officers were innocent and that all the allegations were fabricated, including one that officers had squeezed the testicles of three teenage Latino detainees. WebServices include abandoned vehicle reporting/removal, adult fingerprinting, adult sexual assault prevention, business security evaluations, crime prevention, crime victim support, Still, in the span of one week in November, the Los Angeles County public defenders office received about 300 letters from prosecutors disclosing potential misconduct by officers implicated in the scandal, said Judith Green, an office spokeswoman. After a grueling six-week trial, a jury awarded the family of a young motorcyclist $5.9 million after he was struck and killed by an off-duty sergeant who had been drinking. The complaint form and process should not in any way intimidate or discourage potential complainants, the report said. NIT stands for Nigger in Torrance, they said; NITAD stands for a black person spotted in Torrance after dark.. 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. Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov. 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. Thanks so much for your help with this request! Before they start complaining too loudly about how much it You dont hang the star, someone wrote back. 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. For assistance Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated). After one officer shared a news article about someone being arrested for urinating on a Black child and calling them the N-word, Satterfield replied, whats the crime? according to district attorneys records reviewed by The Times. 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. In 1988, two Torrance police officers were caught on video choking and clubbing Thomas Tice, 20, at a Sunday afternoon party. 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 . A goal of the Torrance Police Department is to ensure that the public is served in a most efficient and effective manner by highly trained police officers, bearing in mind that the police officer of today works in an extremely complex society. To assist us in achieving this goal, you, as a citizen, can help by letting us know if you have a complaint. SB 2 would create a nine-member Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board within the existing Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Tice and five other party-goers settled a lawsuit against the city for $105,000. . TheCalifornia Public Records Actdoes not regulate the use of records obtained from public agencies. California Atty. 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. Truly favorable attitudes cannot prevail when a question of misuse of authority, either real or imagined, arises. Please include the number of officer-involved shootings resulting in discipline. This isnt just a lone wolf, this is a huge group.. A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit filed against Torrance Police in the 1990s uncovered claims that officers routinely used racial slurs and even had code If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Simpson case, the downfall of Orange County Sheriff-turned felon Michael S. Carona and the use of unauthorized drugs by Olympian Carl Lewis. James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles Countys criminal courts and the district attorneys office. Mark KickbuschPolice Operations SupervisorRecords DivisionTorrance Police Department3300 Civic Centre DriveTorrance, CA, 90503E: mkickbusch@TorranceCA.gov
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