Home » Letter: Insurance Agent Says Crimes in Antioch Costs Citizens $5.6 Million

Letter: Insurance Agent Says Crimes in Antioch Costs Citizens $5.6 Million

By Jim Lanter

by CC News

The following was provided by Jim Lanter, a resident of the city of Antioch on the upcoming 2024 election.

We have an important city election coming up in November. I’m a local insurance agent and deal with insureds that suffer loses from burglary’s, car theft, homes broken into and vandalism at their home and business. People are shocked when I share the following crime statistics taken from the Antioch City Website on the police department page.

2023 Crime Stats:

  • Robberies -211 47% increase compared to 2020 (142)
  • Burglary – 559 20% increase compared to 2020 (464)
  • Larceny – 1649 19% increase compared to 2020 (1621)
  • Auto Theft – 1245 110% increase compared to 2020 (573)

In my research gathered from CHP, California Department of Insurance and numerous California insurance companies along with crime cost paid out of my office using averages, these crimes in Antioch in 2023 costs citizens $5,632,014.

This is staggering and the really concerning news as all the above categories are going to increase in 2024 based on the average numbers year-to-date through August 2024.

I know the Mayor will point to the Antioch Police Department scandal as the cause of crime in Antioch to increase. But you do not have have to look very far, Richmond, Ca with over 78 officers on the street, almost mirror Antioch’s crime statistics.

This is an element problem in the city of Antioch who has the largest unhoused population in the county and growing. It is also well documented that many stolen vehicles have been recovered in unhoused encampments.

A mayor who will not lean on the County District Attorney to be tougher on crime. He needs her support and endorsement. The Mayor not addressing the request from Councilman Barbanica to call for consistent outside agency help over the past 18 months, a Mayor that is made this city government so toxic that we can’t recruit a qualified Police chief or City Manager.

Time to vote for change in November.

Vote for Ron Bernal for Mayor. Don Freitas and Louie Rocha for City Council

This is not the time for party line voting. VOTE for positive change in November.
Jim Lanter
Resident of Antioch

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4 comments

Boomba October 4, 2024 - 11:04 am

Ok Jim,

Bring back Friday night Panther Football too.

And what about “Like a good neighbor, State Farm ain’t there” …. your company either canceling home owner fire insurance policies — is Bernal and Rocha gonna fix that too?

Boomba October 4, 2024 - 11:16 am

Oh yeah … and like Bernal, who didn’t do his job when he was City Manager — no performance evaluations for police officers for 6 years, is going to magically make crime go away, along with retired high school principal and a former Mayor whose motto was “build build build” …. also the number of Police officers you quoted, the 72 Richmond has are the number of officers working the street.

The recent number put out by APD, 72 officers — that number includes all police officers from the Chief on down, leaving probably only 40-45 officers working the street.

In simple terms, 6 beats one officer in each, and 1 supervisor each 12 hour shift.

That is why numbers are way up my insurance man.

WPR October 4, 2024 - 11:17 am

Voters of Antioch you got EXACTLY what you voted for. Elect woke you go broke.
Expect home values to drop and insurance companies to refuse to issue policies to Antioch residents.

boomba October 4, 2024 - 12:11 pm

It’s not the Mayor’s responsibility to “lean” on the DA. The DA is an independent, neutral party who was elected by all the residents of the entire county — not just residents of one city.

In our criminal justice system, it is the police who gather facts and make arrests, the District Attorney files those cases and the Judge and Juries try the cases. You know this right?? 
I’m sure hope you realize that.

Your editorial reads like some insurance agent of a multi-billion dollar company is trying to “cry” poor poor us, look at all the money we are losing.

Bernal, Rocha and Freitas won’t be the answer to problems that are, aghast, bleeding State Farm Insurance dry.

Bernal couldn’t even do his job a City Manager correctly, what makes anyone think he would be a good Mayor?

Bernal’s slogan should read, “Antioch … what could go wrong?” — a lot with him as Mayor.

Comments are closed.