A survey of records at Police Watch, a nonprofit Los Angeles group that monitors Southern California police agencies, revealed numerous complaints by minorities alleging that they were pulled over by Torrance police for no reason. They were stopped, they say, because two of them are black. Truly favorable attitudes cannot prevail when a question of misuse of authority, either real or imagined, arises. Medical examiners ruled Ross died of cardiac arrest resulting from methamphetamine use and his struggle with the officers, according to autopsy records. 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. things have not changed, said Tim Rastello, brother of the motorcyclist and a Denver civil rights attorney. Two years later, the city agreed to pay $1.9 million to a construction worker shot in the neck by an officer during a 1988 traffic stop, and $1.1 million to a Carson man who claimed that officers broke his neck with a billy club. Los Angeles, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. However, Jackson rejected the grand jurys request to initiate an appeal process if the complainant is dissatisfied with the disposition of an investigation. 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.. It creates a tremendous amount of concern for me. Other departments include intentional and accidental shootings; others do not. Katz, the former independent police auditor, described those statistics as concerningly low.. That department is infected with the disease of denial . Daniels said he was taken into custody, placed in a cell for two hours and cited for driving without a California license and released. The department would not comment on citizen complaints against police beyond saying that it investigated 34 of them in 1993, sustaining 23. But theyve hit a snag, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, A $150,000 executive protection dog? Judge Amy Carter will decide whether to suppress evidence from the personal cellphones of ex-officers Corey Weldin and Christopher Tomsic. Compton, with a population of just 96,000, recorded 62 killings during the same period. 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. (and) until the City Council and the city manager recognize that theres a problem, there wont be a solution.. Anyone can request public documents in California, and a purpose does not have to be stated. Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov. Dunn then placed a monitored call to Tomsic, who tried to blame Weldin, saying, Weldin is the instigator of all this. 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. In the texts, the officers showed little concern about getting caught and even less about the citizens they were assigned to protect, routinely joking about using force and mocking internal affairs. Atty. Rob Bonta announces an investigation into the Torrance Police Department after a Times report on racist texts between officers. Civil rights activists and police watchdog groups claim that the department is among the most Then, twice in three months, came federal civil rights lawsuits by citizens claiming that they were wrongfully stopped. The city prevailed. Web47 6 thatphanom.techno@gmail.com 042-532028 , 042-532027 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. Weldin and Tomsic got the call and rushed to the scene. Investigators had Dunn phone Weldin while they listened in on the call. 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. - 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]. In 1988, two Torrance police officers were caught on video choking and clubbing Thomas Tice, 20, at a Sunday afternoon party. John L. Fellows III calling the Justice Departments allegations totally groundless. Although a current racial breakdown of officers was not available, the government said that in 1992 only three of the departments 233 sworn officers (1.2%) were black, 15 (6.4%) were Latino and six (2.5%) were Asian. During the struggle, Tomsic said, Ross tried to gain control of his gun, according to a district attorneys office memo clearing the officers of criminal liability. An attorney for the union said the officers were barred from commenting on the investigation. To assist us in achieving this goal, you, as a citizen, can help by letting us know if you have a complaint. . 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 Gascn said he first became aware of the situation in July, when he was given a briefing about the pending vandalism charges. You dont hang the star, someone wrote back. Whenever it appears that somebodys chipping away at that crust, were going to rise to the occasion.. At certain levels noises are Los Angeles, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Which one doesnt belong? the caption asked. 1. 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 Daniels said the officer approached him three days later at a local mall. California Atty. This is a prime example of running away from local control and accountability and trying to delegate to some people far away who arent a part of the community.. The complaints against Torrance allege a more intense racism. From what I can tell . Any documentation or reports that detail the annual number of officer-involved shootings in your department for the past 10 years would be sufficient. Gascn said the texts are proof that some Torrance officers hate the communities they were hired to serve. Saavedra has covered the Los Angeles riots, the O.J. I dont want to have a board that is nothing more than a place that people come and give their complaints.. 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. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, she served as the Daily Breeze's lead city hall reporter. 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. Long Beach police officials determined the use of force was justified, the records show. Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed. When the motorists asked why they were stopped, they claimed that officers would reply, We do a routine check on new faces in town.. A report to the city council estimated the potential cost being anywhere from $233,000 to $711,000. 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. If your department logs complaints in a database, spreadsheet, or other log, a copy of those logs is fine instead. Please include documentation regarding how many of these officer-involved shootings involved disciplinary action. This project requires us to request data from your department. 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. 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. (Please list officer firearm discharge directed at a person separately from a shooting involving an animal and separately from accidental firearm discharges). Collecting this information is very important to our research, so we would like to emphasize, if you have questions about my request or suggestions, we would be happy to discuss them with you. 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. Please fill out, sign and mail or submit at our station lobby. WebCurrent Announcements for Positions. 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. California Atty. For assistance Good job sticking to the script, he wrote. The caption read hanging with the homies.. Gen. 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. Those people spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could candidly discuss an ongoing investigation. 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. Simpson case, the downfall of Orange County Sheriff-turned felon Michael S. Carona and the use of unauthorized drugs by Olympian Carl Lewis. We are aggressive, and sometimes we get some lawsuits, he said. The results of that investigation, though, likely wont be made public for another two years or so although Hart said he is working on a new collaborative reform model never before done in the state of California, which would allow quarterly or biannual updates on the status of the investigation. The purpose of that board, according to the bill text, is to make recommendations regarding police officer decertification and to protect the public and all constitutional and statutory rights.. 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