SOCIETY
ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) — The City of Antioch, whose police department came under national scrutiny after it was revealed that some officers shared racist and sexist texts, used excessive force and falsified records has reached a settlement agreement to implement a series of reforms, officials announced Friday.
Antioch will enhance police training programs, establish an independent review board to handle complaints and implement a warning system to identify problem officers, according to an agreement that settles a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2023.
“This agreement allows the Antioch Police Department to start with a clean slate and oversee officers’ conduct and make sure they are compliant with new standards,” said John Burris, who filed the complaint in federal court on behalf of residents who said they were targeted by Antioch police officers.
The settlement agreement signed Friday morning, linked to the Antioch police texting scandal, is being hailed as “historic.”
“Historic because it is a collaboration between the plaintiffs and the defendant here. But a collaboration, in my view, for the future of the department,” Burris said. “What we have done is put something in place that future generations, and certainly those immediately here, will know that there is place to go, in fact, if they are not treated properly.”
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The agreement was signed by lawyers and representatives of the City of Antioch. It will serve as a roadmap to constitutional policing and completely overhaul the department’s policies and procedures by directly addressing issues of police misconduct.
“Leadership sets the tone and over time shapes culture. Today is about refusing to let the city remain defined by the failures and controversies that brought us to this point. Antioch deserves a government that listens, that adjusts and delivers,” City Manager Bessie Marie Scott said.
One of the goals is to improve transparency and accountability. Some of the key provisions include….
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