Jan 4, 2025 Story by: Editor
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that it has concluded its investigation into biased policing within the Antioch Police Department in California. The investigation was prompted by the discovery of racist text messages allegedly sent by officers, which led to significant public outrage.
As part of the resolution, the city and its police department have agreed to hire a consultant who will assess the department’s policies, officer training, and use-of-force incidents, providing recommendations for improvements, the Justice Department stated in a release.
The agreement includes provisions for federal monitoring, stronger accountability measures for the oversight body, and the collection of data regarding the department’s interactions for a period of five years.
“In working with the Justice Department to institute policing reform, Antioch Police Department sends a strong message that the discrimination and misconduct that prompted this investigation will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division in Friday’s announcement.
The Antioch Police Department expressed its support for the agreement, highlighting its continued cooperation with a separate investigation by the California Department of Justice into biased policing.
“The actions that prompted this investigation were unacceptable and failures occurred,” the department stated. “We will implement and enhance comprehensive policies, practices, training programs, community engagement initiatives, and oversight mechanisms to ensure that officers uphold integrity and fairness while addressing misconduct swiftly and effectively.”
The Justice Department’s investigation began after racist and homophobic text messages exchanged by officers from late 2019 to early 2022 came to light. The texts reportedly included slurs and one message suggesting that a “less lethal” weapon be used against the city’s Black mayor, who had been serving in the role for five years. Additional messages allegedly boasted about beating suspects and fabricating evidence, as revealed in a 2023 report by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, which, along with the FBI, had investigated the texts.
The findings of the DA’s office led the Justice Department to initiate its own investigation in June 2023.
The Antioch Police Officers Association, which represents the department’s employees in contract negotiations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Located about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco, Antioch has a population of over 117,000, with more than two-thirds identifying as non-white. Over a third of the city’s residents are Hispanic or Latino, and about one-fifth are Black, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Source: Yahoo News
