DATE: Tuesday, October 21, 1997             TAG: 9710210277

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: PUBLIC SAFETY

SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

LOCAL FBI CHIEF PROMOTED OUT OF AREA, BUT PLANS TO RETURN

Local FBI director Larry E. Torrence will leave Norfolk to take over the nation's foreign counterintelligence and espionage program in Washington this month.

Then he'll be back, he says.

Next year, when he retires at age 55, Torrence will join three other former local FBI heads in choosing Hampton Roads as the ideal retirement spot.

Torrence won't talk in detail about his promotion, a seemingly powerful leap just before he leaves the agency. After all, spying is secretive, and the international stakes are high.

Presumably, as the guy in charge, he himself won't be spying.

Torrence will say only that the FBI wanted to take advantage of his expertise in the field of counterintelligence. He said he hopes to make a difference before he heads into a second career as a private consultant.

``A lot has changed in that area,'' Torrence said of counterintelligence. ``The Eastern Bloc is no longer the same threat. Those changes in the world change our responsibilities.''

While the CIA gathers intelligence outside the United States, the FBI is responsible for national security within its borders.

Torrence's tongue loosens considerably when the conversation turns toward his pending retirement in Hampton Roads.

``Most of my assignments through the years have been along the East Coast,'' Torrence said in a recent interview. ``This area has the most to offer. This is the best.''

The 28-year veteran compared the area to past assignments: Boston; Miami; Newark, N.J.; Washington; and Los Angeles. Newark was a particular favorite, he said, tongue in cheek.

A native of Appomattox, Torrence came to the Norfolk office in February 1994 and immediately reorganized the FBI operation here. A strong advocate of multi-agency cooperation, Torrence set up task forces with state, local and federal agencies to combat local problems.

He used federal resources to support partnerships with the cities, bringing city police officers into FBI headquarters, located off Military Highway, to team up with agents for long stints.

``Portsmouth is always a good example of what I tried to do,'' Torrence said. ``I arrived here and looked at the crime problems. Portsmouth had the highest rate of homicide, yet we were doing very little with them. That seemed like a good start.

``There were no task forces when I arrived. . . . Now we're bringing their people in and using the power of federal laws to combat crime . . . in virtually every city.''

The FBI task force working in Portsmouth has been responsible for dozens of arrests that have disbanded several large drug organizations and has helped reduce the crime rate.

Torrence also expanded staff in Norfolk by 25 percent, an unprecedented growth for this area. He added four supervisors and has overseen an expansion of the Hampton office and Peninsula operations.

Torrence will live in Washington until retirement, leaving his family, including three children, in Hampton Roads. He says he can't wait to get back here and start his new life. An avid golfer, Torrence said his retirement will not be all work.

Torrence will be replaced in Norfolk by Charles L. Owens, now chief of the financial crimes section of the FBI in Washington. There he was responsible for investigations involving health care fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud and other white-collar crime, which makes up a large portion of local FBI investigations. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Larry Torrence

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