Antioch

Senator Glazer Requests CHP Help for City of Antioch

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State Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblymember Tim Grayson sent a joint letter to Governor Gavin Newsom today seeking assistance for the city of Antioch’s police force, decimated by years of FBI and local investigations.

The investigations into Antioch’s police ranks have eroded local officers’ ability to maintain public safety in the city, according to Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe in an interview on Senator Glazer’s Podcast, Table Talk.

Senator Glazer also spoke with California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee about the public safety crisis and the request.

“The City of Antioch is struggling with public safety right now, and the CHP can help,” Senator Glazer said.

Mayor Thorpe, a guest on Senator Glazer’s latest episode on his podcast, Table Talk, said, “we have about four or five officers at any given moment patrolling our streets,” in a city of 120,000 people.

Mayor Thorpe said the low numbers of police officers on duty at any given time means police response times can be excessively long depending on the crime being reported. Thorpe said more than half of the 87 city-authorized officers are on leave because of the investigations into the force, leaving just over 40 officers to patrol the city.

“We can use the help because it would drastically reduce time in which an officer can respond to a crime,” said Mayor Thorpe on Table Talk.

This isn’t the first time leadership in the City of Antioch has voiced the need for more law enforcement in the wake of the police scandal and ongoing investigations. In early August, Antioch City Council Councilmember Mike Barbanica asked the City of Antioch to look into getting more help from both the CHP and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office after sideshows got out of hand.

These safety concerns were echoed by Mayor Thorpe on Senator Glazer’s Table Talk; the two areas that were decimated as a result of the racist text messaging scandal were traffic and investigations. “And so it has had real impacts on the community in terms of keeping them safe,” Thorpe said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has already assigned CHP officers this year to cities that request the help; the City of San Francisco has had CHP assistance in dealing with the Fentanyl crisis since May and Oakland has had CHP help since August in dealing with road-related incidents to give City police officers more time to focus on solving violent crime.

EDITORS NOTE – Barbanica Seeks Help for Antioch Police

Back in August, Antioch City Councilmember Mike Barbanica called for the California Highway Patrol and CHP to assist the Antioch Police Department. Barbanica again pushed the issue in September and confirmed conversations with both Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) and Contra Costa County Sheriff David-Livingston.

“I believe we need help, I don’t believe we have enough staffing or people for 115,000 people. There is absolutely no pro-activity going on. I don’t remember the last time I saw a traffic stop and this is not me pointing a finger saying an officer is lazy. This is just me saying there is 4 people for 100 calls for service, if we do the math, the reality is they are running call to call to call all day long let alone write paper,” said Barbanica.

The report shows a 31.09 percent increase in crime—including 33.3% increase in homicide, 47.2% increase in robbery, 62.5% increase in burglary, 19.4% increase in theft, 85.7% increase in auto theft.

The presentation is the result of expressed frustration by both the community and members of the council who for months have questioned staffing levels, police response and crime data.

According to the data provided in the presentation, which its not clear what date the information was pulled, here is a look at the staffing levels to be provided Tuesday.

Antioch Police Staffing Levels

115 Authorized positions

  • 95 of those positions are filled
  • 44 of those 95 positions are in service
  • 31 officers are assigned to patrol
  • Averaging over 100 calls a shift
  • Modified work schedule
  • 7 officers are assigned to investigations
  • Those 7 averaging a case load of just over 300 cases
  • 7 detectives are doing all filling and follow up

Animal Services

  • 18 positions in the unit
  • Between full time and part time staff, 5 vacancies
  • 2 Part time openings
  • 2 full time openings
  • 1 Animal Control Officer Opening
  • Functions
  • 25 walk in’s daily
  • 8 surgeries per day
  • 10-20 ACO calls per shift
  • 80-160 Animals in the shelter at a given time

Records

  • Authorized 10 full time positions
  • 1 supervisor position
  • 2 leads & 7 regular positions
  • 4 part time positions

Community Service Officers (CSOs)

  • Authorized 11 full time positions, no vacancies

Police Dispatch

  • 1 supervisor
  • 4 leads
  • 8 dispatchers with 3 vacancies

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12 comments

Enough is enough October 25, 2023 - 6:20 am
So Thorpe is finally admitting there’s a problem here instead of claiming everything is fine?! That’s possibly the first step in getting help. I have written to the governor pleading for help for Antioch and never got a response.
Street Sweeper October 25, 2023 - 7:25 am
CHP has enough on their plate every single day, you expect them to wipe Antiochs @ss?
Same Guy Tearing City Down October 25, 2023 - 8:03 am
Isn’t Thorpe the same guy who marches against and criticizes police every chance he gets? Now he wants help because there aren’t enough police to patrol the streets? What a guy! Such a brainiac. (Eyeroll)
PattyOfurniture October 25, 2023 - 8:53 am
Here we are again, what, is the CHP going to suddenly come up with 20 spare officers? They don't have the resources. But here's something to chew on: the CHP budget is 3 billion dollars. HALF of that budget goes to just air patrol. The other 1.5 billion pays for all of the officers, staffing, cars, gas, maintenance etc.. How much more presence could be felt if we cut the air patrol? Don't forget, sheriff's and larger municipal forces also have their own air patrol already. You can't get something from nothing which is what these requests and cries for help are. Lets talk numbers, then maybe we would get somewhere.
Frank October 25, 2023 - 1:35 pm
Time to turn over animal services to the county and free up those funds. I believe that every other city but Antioch is run by the county.
Beentheredonethat October 25, 2023 - 1:50 pm
Absolutely not. I do not want my registration dollars to help Antioch at all. And on top of that, the freeway is not patrolled enough in Contra Costa County. Hard No!
FOOS October 25, 2023 - 5:01 pm
Antioch does need help. Our streets are totally out of control. We had to sit at a green light at Davison and Deer Valley in broad daylight while some yahoo did donuts in the middle of the intersection. Antioch is the Dodge City of old. Speeding, red light/stop sign running, a total disregard for the law or public safety. Every night vehicles can be heard doing donuts and speeding on Lone Tree way. In many cases they are the same vehicles we hear with modified or no muffled exhaust systems, a violation in itself that isn't enforced. Even with help from the CHP or other agencies, it will take our council to exercise some political will to turn the lawlessness around in Antioch. We're in trouble as a community and our feckless mayor and council majority are to blame.
It is what it is October 25, 2023 - 7:54 pm
First off, Lamar had text messages with some local activist (shagoofa) coordinating anti policing rhetoric back when he was he was running for mayor back in the days. He keeps acting like a saint and he ain’t it. I’m not sure why that hasn’t come out. And we all know the sheriffs and surrounding agencies don’t want to work in Antioch because of the crime, they don’t trust the politicians and that’s why no one is coming to help. Leave while you still can.
Sos October 25, 2023 - 8:18 pm
I have children living in this city and I would appreciate all the help we can get.
Rob S October 26, 2023 - 2:49 am
There is only 1 problem in Antioch which, in turn, is causing ALL other problems - the problem is Thorpe. Remove or recall Thorpe so that he can no longer do any harm, and you begin the healing and restoration process.
DaMoreYaKnow October 26, 2023 - 8:24 am
Steve, Tim, and Lamar need to be voted out. I believe Steve is not running anymore and Jim is a question mark. They are all clowns who have done nothing for Antioch while this unrest and injustice proceeded earlier this year. Did it really take a podcast to get Steve to represent his region? PATHETIC and SAD.
EWING 23 October 26, 2023 - 10:11 pm
DAMOREYAKNOW, . Senator Steve Glazer isn't running for reelection to the California State Senate in 2024, but he's considering running for California State Assembly or a statewide office according to his podcast. He did run for California State Controller in 2022, but he didn't move past the primary election. I've been told by one of his staff members and a city council member from another city that he's running for California State Assembly, but there hasn't yet been an announcement of his intentions as far as I know. . Assemblyman Tim Grayson isn't running for reelection to the California State Assembly, but he's running for California State Senate in 2024. Grayson has high hopes he'll replace Representative Mark DeSaulnier in the US House of Representatives. If that were to happen we'll be stuck with him for the next 30 years. Grayson is nothing but a corrupt, lying, party switching for political gain, preacher. I've never met a man who likes to hear the sound of his own voice more than Tim Grayson. The bad news is that current Antioch City Councilwoman Monica Wilson and retired former Contra Costa County Supervisor Karen Mitchoff have both announced a run for Grayson's seat, both are absolutely bottom of the barrel horrible choices, and unfortunately, Mitchoff will most likely win the seat due to her name recognition. . You're correct, both Senator Steve Glazer and Assemblyman Tim Grayson have not only done nothing for the City of Antioch, but they've largely done nothing for their districts. They both really need to be defeated.

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