By Jonathan Friedman
Lookout Staff

July 29, 2010 -- The four-month police investigation of Board of Education member and Pico Youth and Family Center executive director Oscar de la Torre will get an independent review. Santa Monica Police Chief Tim Jackman requested the investigation, a City press release stated. City Manager Rod Gould selected the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review to do it.

The Office of Independent Review is a civilian oversight group composed of six attorneys that was created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 2001. Gould said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that the group usually deals with Sheriff’s Department matters, but it has experience with various Los Angeles County cities.

City Attorney Marsha Moutrie said the group reviewed a police investigation in Northern California in which “improper motive” was alleged.

Gould said the Office of Independent Review is being asked “to look at (the investigation) from both a legal and procedural standpoint and inform us whether or not the investigation should have been conducted any differently and if there are any changes in practice and procedure that are recommended to ensure the integrity of investigations in the future.”

No council members spoke about the issue during the meeting because it was not on the agenda. State law prohibits council discussion of items not on the agenda.

De la Torre briefly spoke at the meeting. He thanked Gould, Moutrie and the council for “staying diligent on this case because I think justice and the truth should prevail.”

“There’s a long track record of false allegations and of conflict with leaders in our community that have tried to bring peace and social justice to our community,” de la Torre said. “That must change. We must restore our community’s trust in law enforcement.”

He also issued a press release in which he stated, “Police used bias, malicious intent and abuse of police powers to defame my character in a sham investigation. There is a long history of certain elements in the SMPD abusing their role as facilitators of public safety. This is not the first time police attempted to defame my character with false allegations against me and the Pico Youth and Family Center, but my hope is that it will be the last.”

The de la Torre investigation stemmed from a March 16 fight between two youths in an alley near the Pico Youth and Family Center. A 44-page police report accused him of felony child endangerment by allowing the fight to continue. But de la Torre said he intervened once it was safe to do so. The District Attorney’s Office last week declined to press charges. ("DA Drops de la Torre Investigation," July 23, 2010)

"There's a long track record of false allegations and of conflict with leaders in our community that have tried to bring peace and social justice to our community," de la Torre said. "That must change. We must restore our community's trust in law enforcement."
    Oscar de la Torre