City of Torrance Police Dept – Chief Irvine addresses some of the community programs available to residents including Partners in Policing (PIP); partnership with Torrance Unified School District with Teens and Policing (TAP); and Vacation Security Check for private residences.
Partners in Policing
The next Partners in Policing Class will be held in Spring 2020 and take place from March 5th through May 21st. To join the class, please fill out our Partners In Policing Form. This program is open to all Torrance residents, people that work in Torrance, and anyone else that has affiliations with the City (i.e. people that attend school in Torrance, are members of a church in Torrance, members of civic organizations based in Torrance such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, etc). Must be 18 or older. Registration for this class fills up quickly.
“Partners In Policing” is a Community Awareness Program that educates the community through those who are currently the closest to us, our Neighborhood Watch Members along with community members and business organizations.
The Program allows for the community to “walk in the shoes of an officer,” and experience hands-on exercises relating to the duties, services, and responsibilities of police. Participants will meet officers from the Gang Detail, SWAT, K9 Detail, and interact with a variety of officers from the details within the department.
Through the Partners In Policing Program the community gains a better understanding of the policing function and The Police Department in turn receives valuable input regarding the community policing needs.
As of this date, we have graduated 44 classes totaling over 1,000 community members. Classes with 25-40 participants are held twice a year. By graduation time, the participants have gone through 11 sessions involving everything from the police academy to the apprehension and prosecution of criminals. They have learned why we do certain things and had the opportunity to actually experience certain training scenarios.
Classes will be held every Thursday for 12 weeks from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Through our interactions, we have certainly strengthened our partnership and together have gained valuable insights. The Partners In Policing Program is offered to all community members and local organizations.
Teens and Policing
The Torrance Police Department, in partnership with the Torrance Unified School District, has an exciting and innovative program for select juniors and seniors attending one of the TUSD High Schools. “Teens and Policing” (TAP) is a 12-week program held at the Torrance Police Department one night of the week from 6-8 PM. This program is offered once per semester (Fall and Spring), and students earn school credits upon successful completion of the program. Students are selected by their counselor.
The sessions are taught by police officers assigned to various divisions and details within the Department. Students will receive an inside look into law enforcement and experience hands-on exercises relating to the duties, service, and responsibilities of police.
Interactions between students and police will strengthen relationships and build partnerships toward the future as participants become young adults. They will meet the Chief of Police, take a tour of the station, witness demonstrations from the SWAT team and K-9 unit, hear from the DUI team, Gang Detail, Detectives, and other specialty units. The students will have the unique opportunity to see and do things that only police officers get to experience.
Through this new and exciting program, students will gain a better understanding of a public service-oriented career, which they may choose to pursue.