Contra Costa DA: no one in office leaked second redacted report on Antioch Officers’ racist texts
Won’t say who sent the report or to whom; issues further redacted second report
By Allen D. Payton
After a second, 14-page investigative report on Antioch Police Officers’ racist texts was leaked and posted on social media on Saturday, April 15, questions were sent to DA’s Office PIO Ted Asregadoo that day asking to whom the report was sent, why it was prepared separately from the 21-page report, why it wasn’t sent to the media and was it intended to be shared with the media. He was also asked how the East Bay Times obtained it earlier in the week, was it leaked by someone in the DA’s Office and if so, who. Finally, Asregadoo was asked if there is an investigation in the DA’s Office to determine who leaked the 21-page report and this other, 14-page report.
Asregadoo responded Monday morning, “Our inspectors have investigated the matter and determined someone outside of our organization disclosed the reports to the public and press.”
He was then asked again, to whom were the redacted reports sent from the DA’s Office and who sent them.
Asregadoo also sent out the following press release about the matter, and provided a further redacted copy:
“The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has made a second investigative report available to the public. Like the previous report, this one also details texts and images sent and received by certain members of the Antioch Police Department in March 2021.
On April 7, 2023, the court ordered the DA’s Office to disclose redacted investigative reports to defense attorneys representing clients in a felony criminal case. The judge issuing the order reminded defense counsel about the sensitive nature of the content of the reports and urged caution in its distribution beyond the parties involved in the criminal case. The District Attorney’s Office agreed with the court advisory — as the documents contained explicit words and images that are hurtful, offensive, and inflammatory.
Media interest in accessing the second report increased over the weekend when a copy of it was leaked to the press and public by an individual or group outside of the DA’s Office.
Like the 21-page report that the DA’s Office made available on April 13, 2023, a redacted copy of a 14-page investigative report is available to view. The DA’s Office added further redactions to balance public interest with the sensitive nature of what is contained in the report.
To view or download the redacted report, click here.”
the attachments to this post:
CCDA-APD-2020-texts
