OAKLAND — Lawyer Basic Rob Bonta on Wednesday opened a civil rights investigation into the Antioch Police Division, saying the company beset by a rising variety of scandals was “already on our radar” for an alarming fee of power that officers have used in opposition to residents.
Bonta, the state’s high cop, mentioned his workplace had been monitoring the APD for a attainable civil rights probe even earlier than it grew to become broadly identified final month that officers have been sending texts containing racist language — together with references to utilizing violence in opposition to Black residents or making up phony confessions to bolster instances.
“We’ve seen knowledge that exhibits spikes in extreme power in Antioch, greater than different police departments close by and within the area,” Bonta mentioned, including that the police actions have been having a “disparate affect on communities of colour.”
The sweeping state investigation provides yet another layer of scrutiny to the Antioch police power, which has been underneath investigation by each the FBI and Contra Costa District Lawyer’s Workplace for greater than a 12 months. Already, county prosecutors and public defenders are starting a evaluate of a whole lot if not 1000's of prison instances that relied on the testimony of Antioch officers to resolve whether or not fees and convictions ought to be dismissed or overturned.
At the least eight present and former officers are underneath prison investigation by the FBI for alleged civil rights violations, and greater than a dozen others have been positioned on go away for offensive communications that embody racist textual content messages and memes.
The texts, first reported by this information group, present officers used racist and homophobic slurs to explain particular Black residents and boasted about utilizing police canine and different weapons in opposition to them.
In all, 44 Antioch police members — almost half of the division — are named in two studies compiled by a Contra Costa District Lawyer senior inspector. The core group sending the horrific messages are members of the K9, gang and SWAT models, and greater than a dozen officers within the textual content chains are detectives or supervisors.
“These texts are onerous to learn. They're racist, they're homophobic, they're misogynist, and they're immediately associated to official duties, together with using power,” Bonta mentioned.
The town’s mayor and police chief each welcomed the investigation, with Mayor Lamar Thorpe, calling on Chief Steven Ford to instantly fireplace all officers who wrote racist texts.
“The racism inside the Antioch Police Division is rooted deeply inside the tradition, as it's one which has sadly protected and rewarded racism,” Thorpe mentioned in a press release.
Ford, in the meantime, pledged his division’s “full cooperation.”
“I firmly help any and each useful resource that may assist the group progress” and that he guarantees diligence in “higher aligning with procedural justice and constitutional policing,” Ford added.
Bonta particularly cited using Antioch police K9s, a serious element of the continuing federal investigation.
One of many important targets of the federal investigation, Officer Morteza Amiri, is a K9 cop whose canine, Purcy, bit 22 folks between 2019 and 2022. Division knowledge exhibits nearly all of folks Purcy bit over a multi-year window have been Black residents. Amiri was additionally one in all a number of officers who repeatedly used racial slurs in textual content messages to fellow officers, based on studies carried out by the Contra Costa DA.
Texts additionally present Officer Eric Rombough, a gang unit member, preemptively deliberate to make use of violence on a topic of a police raid. He made good on that promise, the messages present, and later despatched photos of the injured man sitting in a hospital mattress. Requested in one other textual content what he was as much as, Rombough replied, “violating civil rights.”
Civil rights investigations such because the one Bonta introduced Wednesday decide whether or not a regulation enforcement company habitually violates state or federal regulation and may power coverage modifications. Lately, the state lawyer common’s workplace has launched comparable investigations into the Vallejo police and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s division over allegations of police brutality and different misconduct.
In Bakersfield, a 2017 investigation took 4 years to finish however resulted in a stipulated judgement outfitting officers with physique cameras, enhance use-of-force knowledge assortment and different reforms.
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier praised Bonta’s announcement however mentioned he’s nonetheless hoping that the federal authorities will check out the police division as effectively. Final month, DeSaulnier and Congressman John Garamendi authored a letter calling on U.S. Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland to conduct a federal civil rights probe.
“I stay dedicated to pursuing accountability and justice and to that finish am persevering with to push for an investigation on the federal degree from the Division of Justice as effectively,” DeSaulnier mentioned.
Retired Santa Clara County Decide LaDoris Cordell, who labored on civilian oversight of the San Jose Police Division, known as Bonta’s investigation “lengthy overdue” and mentioned she hoped it could do extra than simply enhance knowledge assortment or deliver coverage modifications. Like Thorpe, she known as on the officers who have been concerned within the racist textual content scandal to be fired.
“There ought to be ongoing, impartial civilian oversight on the police division. That’s what I hope occurs right here with Antioch,” Cordell mentioned. “What I need to see, and I haven’t heard it but, is Bonta to say, ‘One in every of these reforms is that the town should appoint ongoing civilian oversight endlessly.’ ”