San Francisco Bay Area police department mired in racist text scandal agrees to reforms

ANTIOCH, California — A San Francisco Bay Area police department under federal investigation for racist and sexist texts has agreed to hire a consultant to update its policies, procedures and training on several topics, the U.S. Department of Justice announced .

Under the agreement made public Friday, the Antioch Police Department and the City of Antioch will select an expert law enforcement consultant approved by the DOJ to review, among other things, non-discriminatory policing practices, use of force, hiring and promotions and discipline to review and update. , over a period of five years.

“Law enforcement is only effective when it builds public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California.

The text messages, exchanged between members of the Antioch Police Department between 2019 and 2022, and surfaced in 2023 as part of an ongoing federal investigation into the department.

The inflammatory text messages, which were heavily redacted, contained derogatory, racist, homophobic and sexually explicit language. Cops bragged about fabricating evidence and beating up suspects. They called women water buffalos, shared photos of gorillas and freely made racist comments.

“The actions that led to this investigation were unacceptable and represent significant failures,” the city of Antioch said in a news release issued Friday. “Our commitment to creating a transparent, accountable and community-oriented police department remains steadfast.”

The city of 115,000, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of San Francisco, was once predominantly white but has diversified over the past three decades.