By Ann K. Williams
Lookout Staff

July 18, 2011 – The Santa Monica Police Chief took responsibility last week for a botched investigation of School Board Member Oscar de la Torre.

Chief Timothy Jackman sent a memo to the City Manager and City Council dated July 13 in which he said his department was going to put reforms in place to prevent a repeat of the de la Torre investigation.

“I want to reiterate that I have accepted full responsibility for the investigation,” said Jackman. “For those seeking to hold someone accountable the responsibility is mine alone.”

De la Torre was accused of failing to stop a fight between two youths behind his community center in March 2010.

A review of the police investigation of de la Torre by the Office of Independent Review (OIR) found that the investigating officer asked leading questions of witnesses, ignored exculpatory evidence, and wrote a report that was argumentative, not a neutral examination of the facts.

Jackman said he will put reforms suggested by the OIR into effect, including improved officer training and reporting procedures.

In addition, he will add levels of supervisory oversight to put “a second set of eyes” on police investigations, especially when “local high ranking City employees or public officials” are accused of criminal activity.

Police will check with the City Attorney and City Manager in those cases and refer them to an outside police agency if it looks like there might be a conflict interest.

Recently police did just that, when an investigation of school officials accused of covering up a hate crime at Santa Monica High School was referred to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Also, Jackman said police officers who are promoted to positions in which they'll conduct interviews and interrogation will get training in those skills before or as soon as possible after they take on their new jobs.

Police and city officials are not saying whether or not the officer who investigated de la Torre is himself under investigation. They say they can't answer questions about him because of confidentiality rules related to personnel matters.

De la Torre has told the press that the investigation of him was a personal attack motivated by bias, and he has suggested that it was related to his run for City Council. He dropped out of that race, and instead ran for re-election to the School Board. He is now a School Board member.

Repeated calls to de la Torre for his reaction to Jackman's July 13 memo were unanswered as of Sunday afternoon.