More than five years after two Torrance police officers’ spray-painting of a swastika symbol on an impounded car opened a can of worms, the police department has reached an “enforceable” agreement with the California Department of Justice, officials announced Thursday.
The new agreement between the state and Torrance police aims to reform the department’s policing policies and practices while improving officer accountability, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.
Under the agreement, the Torrance Police Department will also collect and analyze data to spot any trends and disparities in its policing practices and operations while improving the standards of supervision and oversight within the department.
The ordeal that has plagued the Torrance Police Department began in January 2010 when then-Officers Christopher Tomsic and Cody Weldin were found to have spray-painted a happy face on a seat and a swastika symbol on another inside an impounded car.
As the LA County District Attorney’s Office was investigating the two officers, it discovered that more than a dozen police officers exchanged racist and homophobic text messages, trading hateful comments about people of color, particularly Black people, as well as Jews and members of the LGBTQ community.
As the scandal garnered attention across the country, then-Torrance Police Chief of Police Jay Hart reached out to the state DOJ, asking for a review of its policies and practices.
“Today’s enforceable agreement is an important step toward improving Torrance Police Department’s practices and policies and strengthening trust between its officers and the community they serve,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “While my office is no stranger to investigating and addressing systemic deficiencies within law enforcement agencies — and we do not take lightly the concerning circumstances that led to this independent review — (the Torrance Police Department) is a rare agency to proactively seek a review of its policies and practices.”
The department will also have to improve its systems for officer accountability, employment practices, use of force and community policing, the DOJ said.
Because of the nature of the enforceable agreement, the Torrance Police Department is now in a legally binding contract with the state. If the department fails to carry out the agreement, the state can seek a legal remedy.
“We look forward to working together with the DOJ to implement the agreed-upon reforms, which will significantly improve our Department, through better policies and practices, modern technology to track performance, and enhanced transparency,” said Robert Dunn, Interim Police Chief, Torrance Police Department. “The message to our employees, elected leaders, and the community is clear: The Torrance Police Department has a zero-tolerance policy for hate and discrimination and is committed to constitutional policing.”
Former Officers Tomsic and Weldin ended up pleading guilty to one count each of felony vandalism in April 2025 and were sentenced to two years of formal probation, restitution to the victim, the surrender of their Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification, 100 hours of community service at Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles food bank or similar facility, a tour of the Museum of Tolerance and 15 hours of Anti-Racism coursework.