Residents offer their thoughts on police
Community asks for more civilian oversight, improvements in transparency, accountability
The California Department of Justice's first “community listening session,” which recently took place so officials could hear people's experiences with the Torrance police — as the state agency moves forward with an independent investigation amidst allegations of police misconduct — offered competing perspectives among those who spoke.
Some community members praised local officers for their short response times, while others felt more is needed to improve the department's transparency and accountability.
Although Torrance police were praised for their quick response to 911 calls, some residents said the police were slow to follow through on the investigations. Participants also pointed to the need to raise staffing and officers' morale.
Despite their differences, both camps agreed on the urgent need to establish a civilian oversight committee with disciplinary powers that is independent from the city and the Police Department.
The purpose of last week's listening session was to invite Torrance residents and those from the larger community to share their experiences with and perspectives on the Police Department, said a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, which co-hosted the event with Jensen Hughes, a national firm that provides law enforcement consulting services.
“The listening session will assist the California Department of Justice in identifying the community's perspectives on the Torrance Police Department's strengths, challenges, and areas for improvement,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Torrance Police Department agreed to cooperate with the California Department of Justice in an independent review to address possible bias in policing in the wake of the discovery of a trove of sexist, racist and homophobic text messages that were exchanged by former and current Torrance police officers over the years.
The agency has also faced national scrutiny after Christopher De'Andre Mitchell, a Black man, was shot by Torrance police officers while sitting in a stolen vehicle in December 2018. The department drew further criticism in 2020 when two officers were accused of spray-painting a swastika on a theft suspect's car.
Last week's session drew around 75 people, including past and former Torrance elected officials, activists, residents and other community members.
Mayor George Chen attended the meeting for a few minutes but chose to leave after several participants said they were not comfortable speaking freely with him participating.
“The City of Torrance continues to remain committed to providing a safe and balanced community,” Chen said in a statement afterward. “Our Torrance Police Department led by Chief Jay Hart continues to bring change and reform as he implements his vision of 21st Century Policing, which includes open dialogue, community engagement, rebuilding trust, transparency, and bias-free policing. Change does not happen overnight but I'm confident we are headed in the right direction.
“I commend our police officers who risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of our community as they face critical, lifethreatening situations,” he added. “With the community's support, I know together we can create a better path forward.”
Some residents echoed the mayor and praised the professionalism of the police.
“In my experience, they're doing a great job,” said resident Gaby Fischer. “Their response time is incredible. We are in an area where there's a lot of traffic, so we do get a lot of homeless population, and we can see the difference since they started the program with the encampment.”
Stan Chiu, who has lived in Torrance for almost 28 years, agreed.
“Overall, I feel very safe,” Chiu said. “I'm a minority, but I don't feel I'm discriminated (against) at all.”
But Michael Hopson, a Black Lives Matter activist, said not all people shared the same pleasant encounters with the police.
He cited a city of Los Angeles statistic that African Americans comprise 8% of the population but get pulled over 30% of the time.
“And I can tell you, that statistic is probably very similar to Torrance,” Hopson said, “being a neighboring city to the city of LA.
A civilian oversight committee is needed, Hopson said, so that everyone can feel safe and welcomed in the city.
Adam Schwartz, a Torrance resident, said he wants to make sure that non-Torrance residents feel safe coming to the area, especially people in the younger generation, he said.
“I will bring them down here and they will love it,” he said during the May 16 meeting, “but Torrance has a bad connotation because people don't feel safe around the police officers, and that's a shame.”