Antioch Police to Provide Crime Data, DOJ Compliance Update

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council will hear two presentations involving the Antioch Police Department.

The first will be its quarterly presentation with the second an update on the U.S. Department of Justice Settlement Agreement Bi-Annual Update Presentation after rumblings by some claiming the city was out of compliance.

Quarterly Presentation

The city is currently staffed with 85 positions filled with 4 on long-term injury leave and 1 on long-term military leave. The department is allocated for 105 officers.

Calls for service:

• 2025 – 49,862
• 2024 – 44,941

Angelo Quinto Community Response

• 2025 – 2,409
• 2024 – 3,853

The Antioch Police Department also are reporting a reduction in shootings

The full presentation of crime data including Animal Services, the substation, community engagement and other areas will be heard Tuesday at the council meeting.

Antioch Police DOJ UPDATE

In response to some rumblings by members of the community that the Antioch Police Department is out of compliance with the DOJ agreement, the city refutes that — including a memo issued by city manager Bessie Scott on August 18.

Here is here memo:

It has come to the attention of city staff that some individuals have publicly claimed that our city is, or might be, out of compliance with the USDOJ Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). As the City Manager, I am happy to take this opportunity to address these concerns and have asked our Consultant on this matter, Manjit Sappal, to formally provide an update on the status of all elements within the MOA. His information is attached hereto for your reference (Attachment A).

The following considerations are also noted for your review and knowledge:

1. The USDOJ agrees with us that the dates outlined in the MOA are not set in stone. As I have stated multiple times, there is a mutual understanding that these dates are meant to guide the City in its reform efforts and should not be used in a way that hinders the work being done. Strict adherence to the dates was never the goal, as we all understood that such a comprehensive agreement would take time to implement operationally for the city. Instead, the focus remains on the ultimate objective: fixing the issues that caused this situation in the first place. We will move the deadlines forward for the following placeholder areas within the MOA that we knew would need date changes after bringing the consultant on board.

• • • Community Engagement Plan
    • The APD Self-Assessment (Currently in progress); and
    • The APD Language Access Plan.

By advancing the deadlines in these areas and completing many major tasks early, APD is positioning itself for substantial compliance in multiple areas. FYI – The Community Liaison Officer was recently hired in late July.

2. A key responsibility of the Consultant’s role is to evaluate whether the City is in compliance with USDOJ’s expectations and to either collaborate with us to achieve compliance or report to USDOJ in an effort to compel compliance. Mr. Sappal has been working closely with the City Manager, the Chief of Police, and the City Attorney to ensure compliance and to carefully and accurately report our progress to USDOJ.

3. Since we were able to craft a deal that did not include court oversight, it is important to note that ultimately, it is up to the USDOJ to decide whether they are satisfied with our performance. My understanding is that they are indeed satisfied. Please recognize that the staff team worked tirelessly on these negotiations over the fall and winter, bringing the settlement agreement to the finish line early this year. It took the expertise of city staff, working many hours, to assure the USDOJ that this city could comply without federal oversight. This same expertise currently helps us stay in compliance, as staff intentionally implements the components in the agreement every day.

4. No one besides the USDOJ can take any action regarding our MOA, meaning the agreement does not provide a legal cause of action for anyone to file a formal complaint about our progress. While someone could inform the USDOJ that, in their view, we are out of compliance, the only opinion that truly matters at the end of the day is the USDOJ’s.

5. Although CalDOJ is not a party to this agreement, they have been closely monitoring our progress and are well aware of our MOA. In fact, they have met with us and USDOJ while we worked on this settlement. My understanding is that they are not only satisfied but also quite impressed with our progress so far. At their request, I will meet with CalDOJ in person in Oakland on August 22, 2025, as they want to continue understanding how our city has been so successful in quickly and effectively implementing the terms set out in the MOA.

NEXT STEPS:

What we need to move forward and continue complying with our current standards is to proactively engage with the community throughout the city. We will depend on the City Council and the Antioch Police Oversight Commission to support APD and the city in this effort. We require reputable messengers to share the progress we’re making and to serve as a feedback loop between the community, APD, and the Consultant. It is more critical than ever to provide accurate information to the public. We are still involved in active litigation that may lead to the city entering additional agreements. Accordingly, opposing counsel and the public are listening carefully to everything these bodies say and communicate publicly from the dais. We should promote messages of hope, joy, and progress within our city. It’s essential to be clear and transparent when we are doing well and honest about areas where improvement is needed. In this case, we are indeed doing well. As your City Manager, my goal is to ensure this truth is shared across all channels.

To that end, I suggest that APOC develop a comprehensive Community Engagement Strategy that can serve as a strong bridge between APD and the community, aiming to continue building trust, fostering transparency, and helping shape public safety strategies in collaboration with our residents. I have attached an example here (Attachment B). We need youth roundtables on policing and public safety, to leverage our Neighborhood Watch groups, and to better understand the issues affecting our ethnic communities here in Antioch. Additionally, our business community and elderly residents must have their voices heard, along with our faith-based and community-based organizations. In this way, we as a city will demonstrate that civilian input is not just symbolic but actively influences outcomes. Furthermore, by showing responsiveness to community concerns, we can strengthen the legitimacy of both the Commission and APD.

I hope you find the attached report helpful, and we look forward to continuing our work in this area to achieve “full and effective” compliance as soon as possible. When we are all on the same page, messaging accurate information to the community, it allows us to celebrate our successes and to highlight our great work. Note that we will present a comprehensive report to the City Council in September, where Mr. Sappal will provide an update on all areas. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions

On Tuesday, the Antioch Police Department will provide a public update on where they stand with the DOJ.

Housing and Homelessness Division of the Public Safety and Community Resources Department Restructure

The Division currently consists of an Administrative Analyst I, Unhoused Resident Coordinator, and Housing Program Specialist. Currently, there is no reporting structure within the Division, with all three positions reporting to the Public Safety and Community Resources Director and no coordinated strategy for carrying out a targeted approach to addressing the various needs of our community members along the housing continuum despite program investments by the city in this area. The Administrative Analyst I and  Unhoused Resident Coordinator positions are currently vacant. The duties of the Administrative Analyst I are being performed by a longstanding consultant, and the duties of the Unhoused Resident Coordinator are being performed by other staff.

This flat structure has created significant challenges in ensuring proper oversight, accountability, and compliance with complex state and federal housing regulations. Programs such as CDBG, tenant protections, fair housing enforcement, and affordable housing initiatives require strict adherence to reporting, monitoring, and fiscal stewardship requirements. Without dedicated managerial capacity, the City faces increased risk of audit findings, funding claw backs, and potential liability exposure. In addition, the lack of consistent leadership has limited the City’s ability to strengthen and expand Unhoused Resident Services, including bridge housing, shelter referrals, and supportive service partnerships.

To address these challenges, the City Manager is proposing a reorganization of the Housing and Homelessness Division. Under the new structure, two Housing Services Coordinators would report to a Housing Manager, who would in turn report to the Public Safety and Community Resources Director. This structure will provide clear lines of supervision, allow for greater collaboration within the Division, and ensure staff can cover and scale all program areas while building redundancy for continuity of operations.

According to the staff report, even with this reorganization, the Housing and Homelessness Division will remain limited in its capacity relative to the scope of community need, although this reorganization will assist greatly in scaling service delivery more than what is currently happening.  For comparison, the City of Antioch will have 3.0 FTE in its Housing Division under this proposal, while the City of Concord, a city of similar size offering comparable housing and community service programs, staffs its Housing and Community Services Division with 6.5 FTE. This demonstrates that the staffing level being proposed, while an improvement, still falls short of what is truly needed to meet the demand in Antioch. This action represents an important step toward strengthening oversight and program delivery, but additional growth in staffing and resources will be necessary in the future to fully address the complex and evolving housing and homelessness challenges facing Antioch

If You Go

Antioch City Council Meeting
September 9, 2025 at 7:00 pm
200 H St, Antioch CA
Agenda – click here