Public Safety

By Bill Sutherland

Meeting the challenges of preserving Public Safety during a financial crisis has earned him the endorsements of the Police and Fire Associations

Three Police Crime Scene Investigator positions were civilianized and the officers will be assigned to field duties. There are more officers in the field now then there were before the modernization. For several years the modernization of Police services has been an ongoing effort. The process moved sworn Police Officers out of non-enforcement positions and into field assignments.

A new, state of the art crime lab, is under construction that will relieve investigators of depending on the Sheriff's Department for those services. Torrance is one of the few departments in the nation to have a DNA expert on site. In January 2010 an additional Police Officer position was approved enhancing the ability of the department to serve where most needed. Bill made a commitment in 2006 to find a way to add a fifth paramedic unit. With the help of the Torrance Fire Fighters Association that commitment became a reality. Torrance now has a faster response time to medical emergencies. The Council has also approved training 18 additional firefighters as paramedics, which means every Fire apparatus will have a paramedic on board. With 75% of all calls responded to by the Fire Department being EMS, the value is obvious.

We have recently been notified that the Insurance Services Office (ISO) has once again rated the Torrance Fire Department a Class One Fire Department. This is the highest rating awarded by the independent services rating company. The Insurance Services Office, located in Chicago, is a nationwide rating service used by insurance companies to help establish local business and residential property insurance rates. Torrance is one of only 57 departments in the nation and 12 in California to attain the rating. The rating testifies to our commitment to deliver the highest level of protection to the community. It also means up to a 4% savings on homeowner and business insurance policies.