In a podcast released Thursday by Senator Steve Glazer, Attorney General Rob Bonta said the investigation into the racist text messages and civil rights violations could continue “deep into next year”.
The Podcast, Table Talk with Steve Glazer, was 32-minutes long and spent about 5-minutes specifically talking about the Antioch Police Department investigation.
Bonta explained that months ago they announced the launch of a civil rights investigation into the Antioch Police Department to see whether they engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing.
“We are still in the process of our investigation which is not uncommon, it takes months and sometimes a year or multiple years depending on the size of the agency and the breath and scope of the potential civil rights violations,” stated Bonta. “If, through the investigation, we determine unlawful practices took place, our office will determine what potential actions are need to ensure comprehensive corrective action takes place at the Antioch Police Department. We are still actively investigating.”
Bonta added they were “very concerned” and still in the middle of an active investigation.
Glazer asked about the number of officers involved suggesting the number was 24-officers.
Bonta said the numbers were actually higher in terms of the number of officers on the text message list who may not have participated but were on the string receiving the text messages.
“One of the great concerns on the initial information we received from the Antioch Police Department is the prevalence and breadth and scope of the activity,” stated Bonta.
Glazer specifically asked Bonta on timelines for a resolution.
“We could be deep into next year until we get to wrapping up our investigation and I am of course aware of the impacts on the Antioch Police Department. Its unfortunate there are this many individuals who are being investigated on suspicion of illegal activity that people of Antioch deserve to be safe and have a law enforcement presence that keeps them safe,” stated Bonda who suggested additional hiring, attraction, sheriffs or CHP support in partnership to ensure enough support in the Antioch community. “Not ideal, but far from ideal to have the bigoted text messages and that needs to be addressed. It’s not acceptable and we need to make sure the civil rights and constitutional rights are being honored.”
To listen to the podcast, click here
Editors Notes:
Bonta did not specify in the interview which investigation would continue deep into next year as there are at least three separate investigations ongoing from text messages, civil and the DOJ investigation.
Currently, its rumored around 8-10 officers are cleared to return back to work and could return today if signed off by the city attorney–sources say that it is essentially sitting on his desk until March which is when the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBR) comes into play and after 1-year, officers have to be given findings and could return to work. Other sources within Antioch dispute the claim.
In September the Antioch Police Department provided a presentation to the city council which shared although they are authorized for 115 positions, just 95 are filled–with just 44 of those positions in service with 31 officers assigned to patrol. Last week, Antioch had its 11th homicide of 2023.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office still has not released the full version of text messages — estimated around 200 pages in length–so far, just 35 pages of cherry picked text messages have been released which provide no context in which they were used, who was on them, who saw them, and where the screen shots came from or if they were taken from phones of criminals APD was watching.
- To Read the 14-pages of text Messages: Click Here
- To read the 21-pages of text messages: Click Here
Back in August, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton announced the filing of charges against five officers who engaged in a criminal conspiracy and accepted bribes for voiding the citations of friends while serving as sworn police officers for the Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments.
“The charges set forth in these complaints allege offenses of public corruption,” said District Attorney Becton. “As District Attorney for Contra Costa County, my role is to seek justice and work on solutions to improve our communities. The legal action we’ve taken here today reflects that commitment.”
In all, six complaints were filed in Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. The alleged offenses center on fixing traffic violations of associates of sworn peace officers. The defendants are:
- Timothy Manly Williams (Antioch Police Department)
- Calvin Prieto (Antioch Police Department)
- Andrea Rodriguez (Antioch Police Department)
- Ben Padilla (Antioch Police Department)
- Juan Ernesto Mejia-Orozco (Pittsburg Police Department)
Related Stories:
- Sept. 28 – Antioch Police Pressed on if Aid from CHP or Sheriff is Needed
- Aug 18 – DA Charges Antioch and Pittsburg Police Officers with Obstruction of Justice and Bribery
- Aug 17 – Antioch and Pittsburg Police Officers Charged With Various Crimes
- May 22 – Antioch POA Attorney Calls Out Mayor and Vice Mayor for Inciting “Mob Justice”
- May 10 – Antioch Police Chief Pledges Full Support With DOJ Investigation
- May 10 – Civil Rights Investigation Launched into Antioch Police Department
- May 2 – Contra Costa District Attorney and Public Defender Get Budgets Increases
- April 21 – Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Antioch Police After Racist Texts and Targeting
- April 7 – Becton Issues Statement on Disclosure of Racist Texts in Felony Case
1 comment
The steroid indictments are comical.
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