Which of the above data are published publicly? - 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]. Sincerely,Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer. Weldin did not deny painting the car even after the tow driver asked him to come clean, said the affidavit. Jeremy White and Eugene Pesikov sued Torrance and several individual police officers last year. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires. The incident sparked significant protests including one inside Torrances City Council chambers that led demonstrators to file excessive-force lawsuits against several of the officers The Times identified in this article and remains under review by Gascn. Some City Council members said they went outside the department for a chief because of unhappiness at the number of suits against the city. The officer has also been implicated in a racist text message scandal involving a dozen other officers. The first spate of costly lawsuits began in the late 1980s. And he wrote De Ladurantey a letter after the incident. Alexander Cartwright and Jennifer Dirmeyer, Subject: RE: California Public Records Act Request: Torrance, CA PD Citizen Complaints. Please provide a link to any and all publicly available reports containing the data above. Torrance will not survey residents to determine the communitys support for an independent oversight commission to monitor the police department effectively shutting down activists and residents years-long calls for more robust accountability of law enforcement in the city. The other cities have reached agreements with the government, offering payments to a few African Americans and Asian Americans who were denied jobs. Statute 6255 states a catch all exemption, The agency shall justify withholding any record by demonstrating that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of this chapter or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.. At certain levels noises are They said they were stopped, pulled from their car at gunpoint, berated with racial threats during a 2 1/2-hour search, told to leave town and not come back--and escorted to the San Diego Freeway. 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. 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. 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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser for a better user experience. they have one of the worst reputations, Lynn said. 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 council and Hart appear to have full faith in the oversight power of the state oversight board, though. If citizen complaints are not taken seriously, it does increase the sense of impunity that officers who are inclined toward misconduct have, he said. Rollo Green--who, according to testimony, had a history of alcohol abuse--caused the death of Kelly Rastello, 19, of Long Beach, by making an illegal left-hand turn in front of the motorcyclist, jurors said. Another picture he sent referred to an African American baby as a Pet Niguana, according to the records, and he also sent a message mocking the fact that he was the subject of a racial profiling complaint. Non-Emergency Police Response: (310) 618-5641 3300 Civic Center Drive, Torrance CA 90503 Animal Control: 310-618-3850 Community Affairs : 310-618-6392 Gen. . Torrance police vehicles outside the Gable House Bowl after a shooting in 2019. Lacey cleared the officers of wrongdoing in all three deaths, but Gascn has reopened the investigation into Mitchells killing . Two former Torrance police officers were charged with spray-painting a swastika inside of a residents car, and prosecutors are now reviewing hundreds of cases involving the ex-cops, officials said. The grand jury also said that the Torrance warning regarding the civil suit that could be filed if a false report is submitted was found to be unconstitutional in 1999 because of its chilling effect and the court ruling has been upheld on several occasions since then. It was one of several changes to the police complaint process municipal officials said were made after receiving recommendations from the grand jury. 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 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. 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. Many of the officers under investigation as part of the scandal also have use-of-force histories involving the communities for which they expressed hatred. 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. Kristy Hutchings covers all things Long Beach including local government, politics, and the environment. Saavedra has worked as a journalist since 1979 and has held positions at several Southern California newspapers before arriving at the Orange County Register in 1990. Prosecutors are reviewing dozens of additional cases linked to the officers, said Diana Teran, a special advisor to Los Angeles County Dist. (and) until the City Council and the city manager recognize that theres a problem, there wont be a solution.. Before they start complaining too loudly about how much it The city prevailed. Torrance, CA 90503-5056. 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. 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. 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. WebIt is hereby declared to be the policy of the City to prohibit unnecessary, excessive and annoying noises from all sources subject to its police power. 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. Dunn also received a text message from Weldin apologizing for the damage, the affidavit said. Providing the complainant a copy of their own statement at the time a complaint is filed. 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.. Transparency of (a) police departments internal operations starts with an effective citizen complaint process, the report found. A report to the city council estimated the potential cost being anywhere from $233,000 to $711,000. The department has refused to identify them. If power is supposed to be accountable to those affected by its exercise then those affected have to be consulted, Armour added. His work has been recognized by the National Headliner Club, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association and the Orange County Press Club. 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. Thank you very much for providing the information we requested. Web47 6 [email protected] 042-532028 , 042-532027 The officers did not necessarily testify in each case, so its unclear how many of those cases could be affected. First, three officers were suspended, and now face firing, for allegedly socializing--in uniform and on duty--with strippers at a private Torrance residence. Torrance recorded fewer violent crimes in 1993 than many neighboring cities of comparable size, according to the FBI. 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. Our members have a right to due process and should be protected from illegal and unnecessary intrusion into their private lives.. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. Want the latest investigative and FOIA news? 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 Torrance, however, has spent more than $1 million so far to defend its hiring practices, with City Atty. Gascn said he first became aware of the situation in July, when he was given a briefing about the pending vandalism charges. If I were a citizen, youre damned right Id want people stopped . Former Daily Breeze reporter and columnist Nick Green retired in 2021 after more than two decades with the newspaper covering Torrance, Lomita, Carson, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, soccer and the craft beer industry. 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. 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 Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient. Every investigation, therefore, is undertaken with the dual objective of opening channels of communications between the department and the community, and maintaining an on-going review of Department Services and Policies. In the Mitchell case, that could be especially concerning. A city of 137,000, Torrance had 12 homicides while nearby Inglewood, with 112,000 residents, had 45. 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. 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. 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. Maybe its a taillight out . If you wish to file a formal You would want to consult them, figure out what their values and viewpoints are, then legislate and implement their values not yours.. He eventually went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. Good job sticking to the script, he wrote. The exact number of officers involved in the scandal is unclear. . Gen. Contact: (916) 210-6000, [email protected]. We dont have the money to do it at the level they (California) do, Ashcraft said. Records operates on a round-the-clock basis, performing Please find attached the information requested in your email. 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. Please include the type of complaint (i.e., use of force, abuse language, unwarranted search) and the result of complaint (i.e., sustained, exonerated). According to a Times review of public records, Concannon has shot only one person during his career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell. Sgt. TheCalifornia Public Records Actdoes not regulate the use of records obtained from public agencies. PROOF OF SERVICE Executed by Plaintiff Robert Thomson, upon Defendant Torrance Police Department served on 8/2/2011, answer due 8/23/2011. Chief De Ladurantey said he receives as many citizen complaints from whites as minorities. 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. Torrance Police Department . 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. You want to have a process that shines a light on whats going on and hold people accountable on a local, more granular level.. Gascn has hired a special prosecutor to review for possible criminal charges. . Three years into De Laduranteys tenure, though, critics question whether much has changed. I am writing to ask for some clarification regarding the data on officer-involved shootings you provided us with. Its a deep-seated cultural problem, Price said. You dont hang the star, someone wrote back. 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. If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. it. Critics of the department have a different term for the line of demarcation: the Great White Wall, they call it, a racial boundary that they believe is patrolled with apartheid vengeance by the overwhelmingly white Torrance Police Department. WebTorrance, CA 90503-5056 310-618-5529 The Records Division is a service support unit within the Services Bureau. A Long Beach police spokesman said Schroeder was assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation, but would not say why. 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. The current administrative investigations are confidential. 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. Plaintiff. In total, Torrance police have confirmed 15 officers were placed on administrative leave as a result of the scandal. That number did not include Tomsic, Weldin, or Schroeder, he said. I really appreciate it. A SERVICE support unit within the Services Bureau due process and should be protected from illegal unnecessary! Than many neighboring cities of comparable size, according to a few African Americans and Asian who. During his career: Christopher DeAndre Mitchell said he first became aware of the situation in July, he! Money to do it at the number of suits against the city council members said they went outside Gable..., Lynn said comparable size, according to the FBI and the environment prefer the request filled electronically by! 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