Bias Suit Kills Torrance Bid to Hire Police

Citing a pending federal discrimination lawsuit against the city of Torrance, the U. S. Dept. of Justice has rejected the city’s request for federal grant money that would have helped the Police Department hire up to seven new officers.

Some city officials are crying foul, claiming that by rejecting Torrance’s application--which could have meant as much as $410,000 for the Police Department--federal officials are presuming the city guilty before the discrimination suit has even gone to court.

“It sounds like they’ve made up their minds,” City Manager LeRoy Jackson said.

But Justice Department spokesman Bert Brandenburg said a 1968 federal code specifically prohibits cities from receiving such grants while facing a federal suit.

The grant rejection comes after Torrance has spent more than $1 million defending itself against the 1993 federal lawsuit, which alleges racially biased hiring practices in predominantly white police and fire departments.

“When the litigation is resolved, they will be perfectly free to apply for other grants,” Brandenburg said.

The so-called Cops Ahead program offers police departments grants to hire new officers on the condition that the officers are retained after the grant money decreases. The federal funds end altogether after three years. The $8.8-billion program pays 75% of the new officers’ salaries the first year.