Following a Contra Costa County choose’s launch of the names of 17 Antioch law enforcement officials accused of creating racist or homophobic texts, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has blamed the division’s tradition and is asking for an unbiased audit.
“There aren't any phrases to specific my profound disappointment provided that one of many named officers serves as president of the Antioch Police Union,” the mayor stated in a Fb video assertion on Saturday. “Whereas Antioch has labored onerous to turn into one of many Bay Space’s most racially numerous cities, this can undoubtedly depart an embarrassing stain on our group.”
Thorpe, a longtime police reform advocate, added that the “tradition is the issue and has lengthy been an enormous authorized and monetary legal responsibility for town, which is on full show at the moment.”
He stated the division’s tradition requires additional exploration and questioned how “all of this alleged misconduct may go on with out anybody on the command workers noticing.”
The mayor then referred to as for an unbiased audit of town’s inside affairs course of, particularly all complaints throughout the final six to eight years – from the character of complaints to their inclinations.
Thorpe additionally stated he was critically involved about complaints that won't have been investigated and will now be exterior of the statute of limitations and referred to as for a whole evaluation of that as properly.
As well as, the mayor requested for an unbiased audit of the division’s hiring and promotions practices, “in order that the Council can implement measures to higher root out people with sure biases.”
The FBI — which is investigating alleged fraud, bribery, drug distribution and civil rights violations associated to using power within the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments — discovered the messages from the Antioch officers after brokers served search warrants on a variety of officers’ properties and confirmed up on the police division to grab telephones and different private gadgets.
The offensive messages violate division coverage however are usually not prison in nature. They date again to September 2019, and so they continued till January 2022 when the telephones have been seized, Contra Costa County Choose Claire Maier stated on Friday.
Antioch Police Chief Steve Ford, who was sworn in as interim chief final spring and made everlasting chief final fall, has positioned the entire officers on administrative depart pending the outcomes of the investigation. The chief, who didn't reply to requests for remark, introduced final September that the division could be “exploring methods that can permit us to watch division issued cell telephones” and that they'd be “utilized in a enterprise capability solely,” although it’s unclear if any new insurance policies have been crafted.
On Saturday, the mayor additionally referred to as for an fairness audit of the Antioch Police Division “to measure bias in enforcement efforts and finally pursue measures that might assist eradicate racist insurance policies, practices and behaviors.”
“We are going to maintain anybody accountable that has allowed this tradition to proceed no matter how lengthy you've gotten been with this division, whether or not it’s a 12 months or 20 years, and no matter your rank,” he added.
Mayor Professional-Tem Tamisha Walker, in the meantime, launched her personal assertion that very same day on Fb.
“We are able to now not be bystanders and motion should be taken to right this tradition of racism and anti-blackness in policing beginning with Antioch,” she wrote.
Whereas Torres-Walker admitted she has not seen the textual content messages, she stated her fellow council members and group members “ought to take these miscarriages of justice critically” but additionally acknowledged these Antioch officers not accused of any wrongdoing and “who work onerous daily to supply non-bias policing service to our group.”
Employees author Nate Gartrell contributed to this report.