Torrance police, California attorney general announce agreement on reforms spurred by department text scandal
Four years after the Torrance Police Department called on the California Attorney General's Office for a review of its policies and practices following an uncovered racist text scandal, an "enforceable agreement" between the two parties was announced on Thursday.
The agreement came in the form of a multi-page report, with CA Attorney General Rob Bonta praising the department for being proactive in seeking correction and oversight.
"It's rare for a police department to proactively seek out review," he said. "I hope that other agencies will look at Torrance's commitment to improvement to transparency and to partner with our office as a model."
The request for the review came about in 2021, when then-Chief Jeremiah Hart asked the attorney general's office to intervene after misconduct was discovered within the department.
It started when two then-Torrance Police Department officers spray-painted a swastika on a car that they helped to impound.
"A criminal investigation into that vile incident revealed a number or racist and homophobic and antisemitic text messages that had been exchanged between more than a dozen Torrance police officers," Bonta said.
Hart said at the time that the department had zero tolerance for that kind of misconduct, and he sought assistance.
In its departmental review, the DOJ identified and reviewed systemic failures in policies and practices. Bonta referred to one of the reforms in the agreement meant to address racial disparities discovered from collected data.
"For example, the fact that a Black individual is eight times more likely to be stopped than a white individual by the Torrance Police Department, or a Latino individual four times more likely than a white individual -- those are red flags," Bonta said.
As a result, an early intervention system is to be implemented, where data would be collected to identify disparities, if there are any. Bonta said it is important to know if the disparities increase or decrease, "if the policy changes are resulting in what we hoped for – more fair, even-handed justice being delivered in the community."
Overall, the agreement is meant to change the culture of the Torrance Police Department for the better, Bonta said.
Torrance Police Department Interim Chief Robert Dunn said, "We gave them everything they asked for, and unlimited access to any of our employees."
Dunn did not comment on the officers involved in the text scandal at Thursday's news conference, but only said that "the individuals involved in this incident have received accountability."
He noted that a third party will be sought to monitor and oversee the "enforceable agreement" process.