The California Attorney General’s Office and the Torrance Police Department announced Thursday, Aug. 28, that they have entered into an “enforceable agreement” meant to reform the department after two officers spray-painted a swastika on an impounded car and more than a dozen of its officers were caught sending racist, homophobic and antisemitic text messages.
That investigation led then-Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart to reach out to the Department of Justice to conduct a review of the department.
On Thursday, Bonta announced the review had been completed and that the Torrance Police Department was committed to implementing the recommendations, which include changes to the agency’s use-of-force and internal affairs practices and an attempt to eliminate biased policing.
The independent review was announced by the Attorney General’s office in December 2021, about the same time the text messages first came to light. Subsequently, court documents revealed an additional 390 text messages found on the cell phones of Christopher Tomsic and Cody Weldin, the officers who spray-painted the swastika on the backseat of an impounded car.
Tomsic and Weldin pleaded guilty to vandalism earlier this year and, among other things, were ordered to surrender their certification that allows them to be police officers.
In all, 15 officers were at one point placed on leave in relation to the text scandal and a Long Beach police officer who was also involved in the text chain, was fired by the Long Beach Police Department.
“There were specific incidents that were unacceptable and disgusting,” Bonta said during a press conference. “Those were symptoms of a broader challenge and problem of culture. That’s why the chief reached out to us to help address that, not those incidents specifically, but the systemic underpinnings of that and that’s exactly what this enforceable agreement does.”
As part of a five-year plan, Torrance and the Torrance Police Department will implement a set of reforms that will be overseen by an independent monitor to improve practices and the department’s relationship with the community it serves, Bonta said.
The DOJ recommended the department improve and strengthen systems for setting professional standards and accountability, including expanding and improving data collection and analysis to recognize, understand and respond to positive and negative trends, disparities and areas for improvement.
The DOJ also recommended the department redesign its “Early Intervention System” designed to flag potential problems or misconduct.
Robert Dunn, interim police chief, said Thursday that the agreement “is an important opportunity for improvement, better policies, better technologies, better ways to track performance and more transparency with our community. We are committed to the next phase in this process.”
“Change does not happen overnight and requires the support of personnel and budget,” Torrance Mayor George Chen said in a statement. “We are committed to working together with the DOJ to improve our Police Department and create a better future for the City of Torrance.”
Bonta applauded Torrance police for proactively seeking out review and encouraged other departments across the state to consider doing the same.
“It’s rare for a police department to proactively seek out review and willingly work with us as partners to identify systemic issues and identify solutions,” Bonta said. “If others are waiting for a sign to make changes for the better, consider this it.”