The deal ends a nearly two-year investigation into alleged civil rights violations by some of Antioch’s police officers.
Federal agents launched an investigation into officer conduct in Antioch, located about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco, in June 2023.
The DOJ was reportedly tipped off in April 2023 by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office that some officers’ text messages contained alleged racist and sexist slurs, possible civil right violations, and other content, according to the department.
The texts were allegedly exchanged between September 2019 and January 2022, according to federal prosecutors.
The investigation centered on Antioch Police Department’s compliance with the federal Civil Rights Act and other federal laws.
The city must pay for the cost of the consultant, which can’t exceed $250,000 each year.
The consultant is expected to review and update the police department’s policies, procedures, and training on a variety of topics, including non-discriminatory policing, use of force, hiring and promotions, investigations of misconduct, discipline, community policing, language access, and other topics.
The consultant is also expected to provide an in-person report to the Antioch City Council at least once every 180 days and help with all aspects of complying with the agreement.
The Antioch Police Department has also agreed to ensure that police services are “delivered in a manner that is fair, respectful, free from unlawful discrimination, and that promotes broad community engagement and confidence in [the department],” according to the agreement.
The police department agreed to train new hires and veteran police on racial profiling, types of bias, selective enforcement and non-enforcement, cultural sensitivity, proper use of force decision-making including de-escalation methods, and other nondiscriminatory policing topics.
The department also promised to ensure that all members of the public receive equal protection under the law, without discriminatory policing, and in line with the U.S. Constitution and laws of the United States.
“Fair and non-discriminatory policing is fundamental to effective law enforcement especially for those agencies that receive federal funding,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Right Division said in a statement on Jan. 3.
Civil Rights Indictment
A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned four indictments in August 2023 that charged 10 current and former officers and employees—three of whom were from Antioch and seven from the nearby Pittsburg Police Department—with various crimes ranging from excessive force to fraud.The Antioch officers were charged with civil rights crimes for their alleged conspiracy to use unnecessary force in deploying munitions and using a police K-9.
A 29-page indictment described how the defendants allegedly communicated with each other and others about using and intending to use excessive force against people in and around the city.
The use of excessive force mentioned by the officers include using a K-9—or police dog—and using a “less lethal” launcher to shoot projectiles at suspects, and other unnecessary acts of force, according to federal prosecutors.
The indictment also alleged that the defendants used force as punishment to people “beyond any punishment appropriately imposed by the criminal justice system.”
In one case on July 24, 2019, an Antioch officer was accused of pulling over a bicyclist for failing to have lights on after dark. During the stop, the officer allegedly punched the bicyclist multiple times before a police dog bit him in the arm, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The officer allegedly then shared photos of the victim’s wounds with other Antioch police officers, who exchanged text messages about it.
