NEWS
Tunnels, Bridges & Terminals

134-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , October 4, 2000

VETERAN PORT AUTHORITY POLICE OFFICER TAKES OVER GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE COMMAND -- Will Stress Public Safety, Community Issues in New Post


Whether instructing rookie officers on the basics of being a cop or law enforcement personnel from South American countries on the intricacies of seaport security, Port Authority Police Capt. Charles Torres views himself as a teacher who can help the officers do their jobs better.

This week, Capt. Torres brings the skills he honed during his 20-year Port Authority career to the George Washington Bridge, where he will assume the police command at the world's busiest bridge.

Capt. Torres, a resident of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., replaces Capt. George Albin as the bridge's police commander. Capt. Albin will now head the police unit at the Port Authority's New Jersey marine terminals.

Prior to his appointment, Capt. Torres served as Recruit Coordinator at the Port Authority's Police Academy in Sea Girt, N.J., scheduling instructors and serving as the drill instructor. He also has lectured law enforcement officers in several Central and South American countries on airport and seaport security.

To obtain the knowledge he imparts to other officers, Capt. Torres has attained 28 law enforcement certifications - including firearm instruction, safe handling of hazardous materials, crash-fire-rescue training, and behavioral sciences.

"It's definitely going to be a challenge, but I enjoy challenges," Capt. Torres said of his new assignment. "I don't think it will be too difficult making the adjustment."

As he begins his new job, Capt. Torres has two primary goals - to work closely with residents of neighborhoods that surround the bridge and adjoining bus station, and to maintain the high level of safety on the bridge, used by 300,000 daily travelers. Torres said he will continue speed enforcement, DWI, and drug interdiction initiatives.

Capt. Torres grew up in New York City and graduated from Alfred E. Smith High School in the Bronx in 1972. Following high school, he served in the U.S. Army for three years. He then attended John Jay College in Manhattan and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in 1980.

Capt. Torres was hired as a Port Authority police officer in 1980 and was assigned to John F. Kennedy International Airport for two and a half years. He served in the central police pool for three years, and at LaGuardia Airport for eight years.

In 1993, Capt. Torres was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. Later that year, he was transferred to the agency's Police Academy. In April 1999, he was promoted to lieutenant, and this past April, to captain. In addition to his police academy work, Capt. Torres served in the Internal Affairs Bureau for the past year.

Capt. Torres and his wife, Digna, have been married for 25 years. They have two children: Jason, 22, and Stephanie, 7.

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