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Torrance is a planned South Bay city built around aerospace manufacturing and the Del Amo Fashion Center, one of the nation's largest shopping destinations. DUI stops happen frequently along Pacific Coast Highway, Hawthorne Boulevard, and the freeways that cross the city. What makes a Torrance DUI unique is that the city attorney — not the District Attorney — prosecutes the case if it's a misdemeanor.
How DUIs are policed in Torrance
Torrance has its own police department, the Torrance Police Department, which conducts regular DUI checkpoints and patrols. In recent California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) rankings, Torrance reports active DUI enforcement and ranks among the higher-enforcement South Bay agencies for DUI arrests. The department's Traffic Division deploys DUI-focused motor officers and runs checkpoints and saturation patrols at locations selected from impaired-driving crash data, typically on weekend nights and around high-risk enforcement periods.
- Active DUI enforcement; ranks among the higher South Bay agencies for DUI arrests in OTS rankings
- Heavy enforcement along PCH, Hawthorne Boulevard, and I-405/I-110 corridor
- DUI checkpoints conducted during holidays and high-risk enforcement periods
- CHP Southern Division also patrols Torrance freeways
Who prosecutes a Torrance DUI — and where
Torrance is one of the handful of Los Angeles County cities with its own criminal prosecutor: the Torrance City Attorney's Criminal Prosecution Division, not the County District Attorney, handles a Torrance misdemeanor DUI, the same division that also prosecutes domestic violence, drug, and theft cases arising in the city. Felony DUI, such as one causing injury, is forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney instead. Both misdemeanor and felony Torrance cases are heard at the Torrance Courthouse on Maple Avenue, part of the Superior Court's Southwest District, which also serves Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and the rest of the South Bay. Ron Chini appears at the Torrance Courthouse regularly and will tell you whether the City Attorney or the County DA ends up handling your particular charge.
Torrance Runs One of the County's Larger City Jails
The Torrance Police Department operates its own jail at 3300 Civic Center Drive, (310) 618-5631, a temporary holding facility for people arrested inside the city and one of the larger municipal jails in Los Angeles County. It is not meant for long stays: people booked there are held until they post bail, are released on their own recognizance, or go to arraignment, with the Los Angeles County Bail Schedule setting the amount based on the specific charge. Bail can be posted around the clock, by cash, cashier's check, or a bail bond typically running about 10 percent of the total amount. To check on someone's custody status, the Torrance Police Department's own line or the LA County Sheriff's inmate information line can confirm whether a person booked there has already been transferred to county custody, which happens for anyone held beyond a short window, so it is worth calling before driving to the station expecting to find someone still there.
Retrieving a Car After a Torrance DUI Tow
Torrance Police releases impounded vehicles only by appointment, scheduled through the Records Division at (310) 618-5529, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday mornings. Release goes only to the registered owner or to someone with the owner's written, ID-backed authorization, and requires current registration or a one-day moving permit showing DMV fees are paid. The department's own release fee is $200, cash only, waived for confirmed victims of auto theft; the tow yard actually holding the car, commonly Van Lingen Tow on Lomita Boulevard, charges its own separate storage and towing fees on top and will not release anything until the department's paperwork clears first. A vehicle impounded specifically for a suspended or unlicensed driver under Vehicle Code 14602.6 is generally held a minimum of 30 days under county-wide policy, regardless of how the Torrance case itself resolves.
Who prosecutes my Torrance DUI — the city attorney or the DA?
Where will my Torrance DUI case be heard?
Does the Torrance Police Department do a lot of DUI enforcement?
What if my DUI is a felony?
How long do I have to save my license?
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Ron defends DUI cases across Southern California from his Irvine office — and works directly with you, not a call center.
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