RECOGNIZED as the first Chamorro to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Anthony C. Torres was nominated by the Palacios-Apatang administration as commissioner of the Department of Corrections.
Torres’ appointment requires Senate confirmation.
He said he is humbled by the new administration’s confidence in him.
“I am fully committed to prioritizing the safety and security of all stakeholders in the correctional facility, the officers, and the inmates. To provide a safe, secure and humane environment for our inmates is among my priorities.”
Torres added, “I hit the ground on Monday, Jan. 27…. I’m listening and learning about the local protocols, policy and procedures of the institution. I returned home early December. I’ve been away for quite some time.”
Born on Saipan, Torres began his law enforcement career in 1999 as an adult correctional officer for the Department of Public Safety at Halawa Prison in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In 2002, he became a correctional officer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu.
In 2015, he was promoted to treatment specialist in the Challenge Program at United States Penitentiary Tucson, a high-security federal prison in Arizona.
In 2018, he was assigned to Federal Correctional Institution Tucson, a medium-security facility which is a designated “drop-out yard” housing former gang members, cartel members, law enforcement officers and politicians. He served as a drug treatment specialist working in the Non-Residential Drug Abuse Program.
Torres has also held many leadership roles in his career and is a former Arizona Special Operations Response Team member, discipline hearing officer, Hispanic program manager and lead self-defense instructor.
He studied Criminal Justice at Chaminade University in Honolulu and has a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Torres is the youngest son of former Rep. Stanley T. Torres and his wife Ana.
Anthony C. Torres
