Assistant Chief Luis Torres began his law enforcement career in 1992 as a Police Explorer in his hometown of Salinas, CA. After graduating from high school, he attended San Jose State University where he was a Police Cadet. While attending San Jose State, he happened to come across a recruiting table for the San Leandro Police Department. He applied and was ultimately hired by the San Leandro Police Department on October 15, 1998.
Assignments & Roles Within the Department
He has worked a variety of assignments including patrol, hostage negotiations, crime scene technician, school resource officer, sexual assault/juvenile crime detective, background investigator, and personnel and training.
Assistant Chief Torres has served as the commander overseeing the K-9 Program, Hostage Negotiations Team, Color Guard, Professional Standards and Training Unit, and Patrol Division.
He was promoted to Assistant Police Chief in March 2022.
Education
Assistant Chief Torres' education consists of an Associate's Degree from Evergreen Valley College, a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University, and a Master's of Science in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership from the University of San Diego. He has received leadership training from the POST Supervisory Leadership Institute, the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police, and the California Police Chief's Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker.
Board / Committee Involvement
Assistant Chief Torres previously served as the Northern California Associate Member Representative on the California Police Chief's Association Board of Directors and is currently the Co-Chair on the training committee.