California lawmakers are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for assistance in adding more officers to the Antioch Police Department after the unit was devastated by a major criminal investigation.
State Sen. Steve Glazer (D) and Assemblyman Tim Grayson (D) sent a letter to Newsom this week seeking to help keep the streets of Antioch safe during a staffing shortage.
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A joint investigation conducted by the FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office produced a report, released in April, revealing that 14 Antioch Police Department officers were involved in dozens of potential civil rights violations. In August, the FBI charged 10 current and former Antioch and Pittsburg police officers with civil rights violations after investigating violent, racist, homophobic, and sexist language in text messages referring to Police Chief Steven Ford.
"This report documents some of the derogatory, homophobic and sexually explicit language and photographs shared by members of the Antioch Police Department that demonstrates their racial bias and animus towards African Americans and other people of color in the community," the report states.
Glazer requested the help of the California Highway Patrol, noting more protection is needed for the city of Antioch, which has a population of around 120,000 residents.
"They've lost over 60% of their police force in the last two months," Glazer told KPIX for CBS News in an interview Wednesday. "Crime is up over 30%."
Last month, police presented staffing levels to the Antioch City Council, showing more than half of the city's officers are on leave because of the investigations into the force, leaving only 44 positions actually in service.
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Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe said the lack of officers has created slow response times, further incentivizing the push to hire more officers.
“We can use the help because it would drastically reduce time in which an officer can respond to a crime,” Thorpe said in an interview on Glazer’s Podcast, Table Talk.