Sergeant William Lewis

Tragedy struck the Torrance Police Department on Sunday, August 23rd, 1959, when we lost our first officer in the line of duty.

Motor Sergeant William Lewis was killed while attempting to stop a traffic violator. He was struck by a vehicle in the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Carson Street, which had no traffic signals at the time.

Sergeant Lewis was appointed as a police officer with the Torrance Police Department on October 3rd, 1949. He resurrected the department’s motorcycle squad in 1954 on motorcycles personally owned by the officers and leased to the department for traffic enforcement. Sergeant Lewis was promoted to the rank of sergeant on July 1st, 1957.

Sergeant Lewis was buried at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro on August 27th, 1959. A total of 102 motorcycle officers from LA County agencies as well as the California Highway Patrol attended the services.

Sergeant William Lewis… you will never be forgotten.