John A. Torres - Special Agent in Charge

John Torres is a native of Stockton, California where he attended local schools. From 1980 to 1984, Mr. Torres attended California State University Sacramento where he earned his Bachelors and Masters Degrees, both in Criminal Justice.

In 1984, Mr. Torres accepted a position as a Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. He was promoted in 1990 to the position of Resident Agent in Charge in Arizona. In 1992, Mr. Torres was part of the ATF contingent that responded to assist the Los Angeles Police Department during the Los Angeles riots. Mr. Torres continued his ATF career as Program Manager in ATF Headquarters from 1993 to 1996. Then, in 1996 he was again promoted to the rank of Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles ATF office. In July 2000, Mr. Torres was promoted to the rank of Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Division.

In 2001, Mr. Torres was selected to ATF’s Senior Executive Service (SES) program. He successfully completed the SES Certification Program in 2003. Mr. Torres has attended executive development programs at the University of Virginia, Treasury Executives Institute and the Office of Personnel Management’s Executive Leadership Program. In 2004, Mr. Torres was recognized by the San Joaquin County Bar Association for “Protecting Our Liberties” and was presented with their annual award. In 2005 Mr. Torres was promoted to the SES Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division. In 2007 Mr. Torres received the annual Community Outreach Award from the Chinatown Public Safety Commission. Mr. Torres is a graduate of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development program, class #59.

In 2008 Mr. Torres was selected as one of the few senior leaders to attend the Department of Homeland Security’s Principal Federal Official (PFO) symposium. This PFO position becomes enacted during events such as wildfires, earthquakes or other critical incidents. The PFO would act as the federal government’s representative to the state and local entities during the recovery efforts.

In October of 2008, Mr. Torres was the Incident Commander of ATF largest case in ATF history, “Operation Black Rain.” This operation targeted members of a violent outlaw motorcycle gang and as a result, over 1500 law enforcement officers arrested nearly 100 members of this gang and executed over 130 search warrants.

Throughout his ATF career, Mr. Torres has been involved with several law enforcement associations. Currently, Mr. Torres serves on the Executive Boards of the Police Officers Association of Los Angeles County, the Federal Executive Board and the Anti-Defamation League Law Enforcement Committee. In 2007 Mr. Torres became an Executive Board member for the Police Officers Desert Refuge of Southern California. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Federal Law Enforcement Executives Association. Mr. Torres served as chairman of the executive board of the Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in 2003. In 1996, Mr. Torres was a founding member of ATF’s Hispanic Agents Association. He was voted president of the Association in 1998 and 2003.

Mr. Torres is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Newhall, California.