The Department of Justice announced on Friday that it has settled an investigation into biased policing by the Antioch Police Department in California. The investigation was prompted by racist texts allegedly sent by officers, which led to public outrage and backlash.
As part of the agreement, the city and its police department have agreed to hire a consultant to review their policies, officer training, and use-of-force incidents in order to make suggestions for improvements. The Justice Department stated that there will be a framework for federal monitoring, increased accountability for the oversight body, and the collection of data on the department’s interactions for the next five years.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized that working with the Justice Department to implement policing reform sends a clear message that discrimination and misconduct will not be tolerated.
The Antioch Police Department expressed its support for the agreement and its commitment to cooperating with a separate investigation by the California Department of Justice into biased policing. The department acknowledged the unacceptable actions that led to the investigation and stated that they will enhance policies, training programs, community engagement initiatives, and oversight mechanisms to ensure officers uphold integrity and fairness while addressing misconduct promptly.
The investigation by the Justice Department was initiated after reports of racist texts exchanged by officers between late 2019 and early 2022, including homophobic and racist language and inappropriate suggestions regarding the use of force. The investigation was prompted by a report from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.
Antioch, a city with a diverse population, faced public outrage and civil rights lawsuits following the release of the report. The fallout from the scandal also impacted a criminal case, prompting prosecutors to drop charges against two individuals connected to a case involving a burned body, as their reliance on officers involved in the scandal was deemed untenable.
In response to the officers’ misconduct, several individuals filed a federal lawsuit against the city, alleging violations of their civil rights. The civil action is ongoing, with further developments expected.
Parties have settled their claims, as per court records. Eight officers mentioned in the report on texting have been put on administrative leave, with three facing indictments from a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to “injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate” residents. One of the three indicted officers has resigned. Attempts to contact the trio at the time of the 2023 indictment were unsuccessful.
Michael L. Rains, legal counsel for the Antioch Police Officers’ Association, which represents rank-and-file employees in city contract negotiations, acknowledged the offensive nature of the reported text messages. He emphasized that the problematic texts were the work of a small number of officers. Rains stated in an email on Saturday, “The Antioch POA, its individual members, and this Office have strongly denounced the language used by those few Officers.”
Representing some of the disciplined officers, Rains also expressed his support for a fair and thorough investigation into the context and origin of the released texts.
**CORRECTION (Jan. 4, 2025, 11:30 p.m. ET):** An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the former Antioch mayor remains in office. It should be noted that he did not secure re-election last year.
