US EditionNorthern California city to reform police after racist texts scandal
The $4.6 million settlement resolves claims from 23 victims and mandates reforms including independent oversight and enhanced officer training, following a federal misconduct investigation.
- On Friday, the city of Antioch and civil rights attorney John Burris announced a 55-page, non-monetary settlement resolving police abuse cases involving 23 plaintiffs, 45 Antioch police officers, and three former Antioch police chiefs.
- The scandal began when released text messages from the racist text scandal showed officers exchanged racial and civil rights slurs, prompting probes by the FBI and others.
- The settlement mandates an independent review board, an independent monitor, and quarterly K‑9 deployment data, with misconduct reports forwarded to the police chief within 72 hours.
- Federal prosecutions and indictments have charged 14 Antioch officers, with Devon Wenger and Morteza Amiri sentenced to over seven years earlier this year.
- Antioch City Manager Bessie Marie Scott said the agreement updates policies to modernize constitutional policing, while Burris noted the Oakland Riders case frames this settlement as a model for sustained reform.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Antioch Police Department agrees to major reforms in civil rights settlement
By Da Lin The Antioch Police Department has agreed to sweeping reforms to settle a civil rights lawsuit stemming from a 2022 scandal that exposed racist behavior within the department. The settlement follows an FBI investigation that found roughly half of the Antioch police force had sent or received racist text messages, leading to mass administrative leave, resignations, and criminal convictions. Attorneys and city officials signed the police …
City of Antioch Agrees to Pay $4.6 Million Settlement to Resolve a Bounty of Police Misconduct Cases
A whole menagerie of Antioch Police Department scandals including illegal steroid dealing, coordinated K-9 dog attacks, and credential fraud are getting resolved out of court with a $4.6 million settlement for 23 victims.
Associated Press News
Northern California city to reform police after racist texts scandal
The City of Antioch in Northern California has reached a settlement to implement police reforms after officers were found sharing racist texts, using excessive force, and falsifying records.
The Mercury news
East Bay TimesSettlement reached in class-action lawsuit alleging widespread Antioch police abuses
Attorneys for 23 Antioch residents who claimed they were abused by police hailed the settlement as “a complete overhaul of the department’s policies and procedures.”
Settlement agreement announced in Antioch PD misconduct lawsuit
(BCN) — A civil rights lawsuit filed two years ago against the city of Antioch related to a widespread misconduct scandal in its Police Department is being resolved with a $4.6 million settle…
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