Oakley Police Could Begin Assisting City of Antioch

On Tuesday, the Oakley City Council will discuss whether or not to provide law-enforcement services to the City of Antioch.

If approved, the intent of these requests is not for outside agencies to step in and handle routine calls for service, but rather for the officers from outside agencies show up as a presence and deterrent in dedicated “hotspots” of Antioch and conduct proactive enforcement actions.

This is in response to the depleted Antioch Police staffing levels – which Antioch set aside $500k for outside police assistance back in October 2024.  Antioch would pay another agency $200 per hour—which is greater than Oakley police overtime, however, it would also go towards wear and tear on vehicles, fuel costs and other costs.

However, this week, Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington said he believed they have seen the department stabilize which included the priority of hiring which he said was “progressing well”.  Data provided by him included:

• 80 sworn officers
• 65 are on active-duty patrolling
• 6 more officers by end of month (graduating academy)
• 60 individuals are in some form of hiring process (entry/lateral/academy/CSO/Dispatcher

“Right now, we have the highest number of lateral applicants and academy graduates that have applied in the 10-months that I have been here,” stated Addington. “I am very optimistic, and we are on the right path. But getting full staffing will take time and require patience, but I am optimistic.

He said full staffing could occur within a year.

If Oakley does agree to provide assistance with an approved MOU, it would be on top of special assignment such as traffic enforcement where agencies pull resources and provide traffic enforcement—Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Pittsburg, Richmond and CHP.  They also participate in Vehicle Theft Suppression Enforcement teams (VSET).

Chief Beard provided a series of “risks” in the staff report that if approved could include:

• Employee injuries
• Use of Force Incidents
• Equipment Damage
• Equipment Costs
• Officer Complaints
• Communications
• Financial risks: The City of Antioch will not pay outside officers for those future court appearances. These court appearances would be part of the “miscellaneous costs” of the initial flat rate fee

Recommended Model:

I recommend using our Special Services Team SST for operations that occur during their normal work week, which is Tuesday – Friday.

• The SST would operate out of a marked vehicle and they would wear patrol uniforms
  • This model does fit with the operational profile of the SST
• There is a built-in sergeant with the SST. If by chance, the regular SST sergeant is not available for duty a call for other sergeants will be made to fill in. If no sergeant is available we would not participate in a proactive operation.
  • Having a sergeant on duty with our officers ensures our officers have an element of somebody they can turn to if they need supervisory support
  • Having a sergeant on duty also ensures a supervisor from Oakley is providing overwatch for litigious incidents such as pursuits

Fiscal Impact

As noted the City of Oakley will be reimbursed at a rate of $200 per hour for each hour any Oakley officer provides assistance to the City of Antioch under the terms of the MOU. This amount should cover all salary/benefit expenses.

The $200 per hour may, or may not, cover all future salary demands for court subpoenas arising out of arrests or interactions that are associated with the assistance to the City of Antioch. Due to the fluid nature of criminal cases it is very difficult to anticipate future court subpoenas.

Fuel expenses and wear and tear on equipment were previously addressed in this report. Again, due to the fluid nature of this type of work it is difficult to anticipate future expenses due to these issues. 

Staff Recommendation

In spite of all of the risks outlined in this document I do recommend that we participate in this request by the City of Antioch for aid. My purpose for this recommendation is due to the fact we are a public safety agency. Maintaining public safety in the community of Oakley is paramount and I believe in some measure Oakley is threatened by what is occurring in the City of Antioch. Our participation in a request for aid to the City of Antioch could actually help stabilize the East Contra Costa County region, which would include Oakley.

Staff Report – click here

If You GO
Oakley City Council meeting
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
6:30 pm
3231 Main St, Oakley CA
Full Agenda – click here

Note – the staff report does not include a list of police agencies who have taken up Antioch’s request for outside assistance to cover hot spots.

Fuller Suggested not Assisting Antioch Last Year

While it is not clear if Councilmember George Fuller has had a position change, last January suggested the Oakley Police Department stop sending officers into the City of Antioch until they can get an updated mutual aid agreement.

In response, now Oakley Mayor Shannon Shaw disagreed with Fuller (see statement) while Chief Paul Beard pushed back on Fullers comments and was not getting “political” when it came to police services.

“It actually pains me that there is any slight question mark on the Oakley Police Department that we would hesitate to respond to a call for outside assistance. That is not my body of work for 33-years and not my expectation of my police department,” stated Beard.

Related

• Oct 9 – Antioch Agrees to Allocate $500k for Outside Police Assistance
• Sept 25, 2024 – Antioch Mayor Says “All Options” on the Table to Reduce Violence
• Sept. 28, 2023 – Antioch Police Pressed on if Aid from CHP or Sheriff is Needed
• Oct 25, 2023 – Senator Glazer Requests CHP Help for City of Antioch
• Aug 6, 2023 – Barbanica Calls on CHP and Sheriff to Assist Antioch Police