In response to recent rash of shootings Antioch council approves Violence Reduction Initiative
UPDATE: Up to $500,000, but only includes up to $200 per hour for outside agency officers, no double-time for Antioch Police officers
“This is a temporary measure. It is not a forever thing,” – Mayor Hernandez-Thorpe
“…we already have an understaffed, overworked police department,” – District 1 Councilwoman Torres-Walker in whose district all but one shooting occurred as her reason for opposing the double-time pay for Antioch officers.
Reverses tobacco retailer ordinance now allowing them to be sold or inherited
By Allen D. Payton
During their meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the Antioch City Council, with District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica absent due to illness, voted 4-0 to approve a Violence Reduction Initiative with a budget of up to $500,000 and offering up to $200 to cover the costs of police officers and equipment from outside agencies, but not to offer Antioch’s officers double time, for now. Then, to ensure “Opportunity Lives Here” in Antioch, again for tobacco retail owners, the council barely passed on a 3-0-1 vote revision to the ordinance adopted in 2017 banning the sale or transfer to heirs of their businesses in the city as of Jan. 1, 2023. It was also the first council meeting for new City Manager Bessie Mae Scott who started on Monday.
Approve up to $500,000 for Violence Reduction Initiative, Pay up to $200 per Hour but Only for Outside Agency Personnel
Following public comments that questioned the expenditure of the funds for the Violence Reduction Initiative proposed in response to the rash of 15 shootings in September, mostly in the Sycamore corridor, District 1 Councilwoman Torres-Walker, in whose district all but one of the shootings occurred, was the first member to weigh in on the issue. (See related article)
According to the city staff report, the proposal had three parts: “1) Authorizing the payment of double-time for Antioch Police Officer’s Association Members for working extra shifts in designated areas of the City to reduce violence as directed by the Chief of Police or his/her designee; 2) Authorizing the City Manager to enter into agreements, approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office, to pay regional municipalities $200 per hour to send officers to work shifts in designated areas to reduce violence; and 3) Allocating up to $500,000 to fund this violence reduction initiative.”
“The double time for officers is for them to come in on their days office…to incentivize them…is what the double-time authorization is for,” the councilwoman stated “I don’t necessarily support the double-time. But I do support the use of outside support. What this really is to increase police presence in communities that need it most.”
Torres-Walker then went on another of her diatribes about her views on policing and public safety saying, “Had we invested up front in prevention of violence we wouldn’t need to invest in police” and if you want accountability, you’re not anti-police. “You don’t have to pander to Back the Blue, very dangerous individuals. You don’t want to be attacked by people who are very pro-police,” taking a swipe at a local police support Facebook group.
Mayor Pro Tem Monica Wilson then asked Antioch Police Captain Joe Vigil about double time versus outside agencies.
“The idea of having a balanced approached of having a bit of both…to supplement our police staffing,” he responded. “The whole point of this was to incentivize the officers to come in on their day off.”
“So, we don’t even know if any agency is going to help,” Wilson stated.
“No. We do. We have one and we have two in the works,” Hernandez-Thorpe interjected.
Ogorchock asked, “There will still be forced overtime?”
“It’s built into the schedule,” Vigil stated.
“Should we offer this to our officers before offering it to outside agencies?” she asked.
“Correct,” he said.
“It’s up to $500,000, correct?”
“Correct,” he responded.
“It’s being allocated as it’s being used, correct?” the councilwoman continued.
“Correct,” Vigil stated.
“Our officers are already working toward overtime, correct?” Torres-Walker asked.
“Correct,” the Police Captain said.
“This will be managed…to make sure people aren’t too tired,” the District 1 Councilwoman stated. “We aren’t obligated to offer overtime. But we could use money to bring in outside support.”
“This doesn’t have to be offered to our officers, first. I heard you say that, but I don’t think that’s accurate,” the mayor stated.
“No. It’s not. I apologize for the confusion,” Vigil responded. “There would be a schedule put out and built.”
“The main focus of this is outside agencies,” Hernandez-Thorpe stated. “I know it’s both. But the primary purpose that the chief has been working on is outside agencies. Our officers are already working overtime.”
“Since we already have an understaffed, overworked police department then we wouldn’t be discussing number one, but only number two and three (of the proposal),” Torres-Walker pointed out.
“But this is for the areas we’ve been talking about. They are doing overtime,” the mayor said.
“Some people are not coming in on their day off,” Torres-Walker stated.
“That’s the point of the incentive,” Hernandez-Thorpe explained.
“That would make (section) one moot because they’re already working toward overtime from the direction of the police chief. They’re just not coming in on their days off,” the councilwoman reiterated.
“My goal has always been the outside agencies. That’s the chief’s goal. What I hear the captain saying is for officers to come in on their days off, is that correct?” the mayor asked.
“I don’t support the double-time, but I do support incentivizing outside agencies,” Torres-Walker repeated.
“They already do get the overtime. We’re authorizing double-time,” Vigil shared in response to a question by Hernandez-Thorpe.
“While we may get outside agencies it doesn’t mean we’ll get every single day outside agency support,” the mayor explained. “This is a temporary measure. It is not a forever thing and I think…we’re not just talking about Sycamore, we’re talking about 18th and Cavallo. So, we’re talking about other hot spots in the community, and we don’t want it to spill over.”
“Whatever direction ya’ll want to go in, I’ll support,” Torres-Walker then said. “It’s not additional people. It’s maybe two people, three people.”
“Yes. Two, four,” Vigil responded.
“It’s not in addition. We’re still understaffed,” the councilwoman reiterated. “So, we can temporarily deter violence, then we’re over policing in one neighborhood and under policing in another neighborhood. I will just be interested to see what the results will be.”
“So, if are they coming in with their vehicles are they using our vehicles?
“These are not full shifts, they’re partial shifts around certain days and times,” Vigil said. “We do not reimburse them for after they leave…just for when they’re here and their equipment.”
Ogorchock then moved approval of the funding of up to $500,000 to fund double-time for both Antioch and outside agency officers.
“I get the council’s concerns about the officers’ overtime. We can either vote on these individually or set a parameter around the use of overtime,” the mayor then offered.
“I think it would be easier to vote on them separately,” said City Attorney Thomas L. Smith.
Ogorchock then withdrew her motion. “I still have concerns about the unions and our officers and how it has to be offered to them, first. I have a hard time dealing with the rest of it.”
“It’s not an issue,” Hernandez-Thorpe said. “The outside agencies, I really need the council to support this.”
Wilson then made a new motion to only approve the double-time for officers from outside agencies up to $200 per hour and spending up to $500,000. Torres-Walker seconded the motion.
“So, the goal is, you, mayor is going to go talk to the chief?” Torres-Walker asked.
“The city manager,” the mayor stated.
She will go talk to the chief about the issue of overtime for Antioch’s officers, Torres-Walker explained.
The motion then passed 4-0.
Tobacco Retailer Ordinance Revision
After voting on August 8, 2017, to not allow owners of tobacco retail businesses in Antioch to sell or transfer them to their heirs, the Antioch City Council reversed course during their Tuesday meeting. With very few public comments on the matter and although Barbanica had pushed the issue and the council members proposed postponing the item until he could be in attendance, the council went ahead and barely passed the revisions to the ordinance on a vote of 3-0-1, with Wilson abstaining.
During discussion on the item, Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe said he was on the council in 2017 when the council voted for the original ordinance, as was Wilson and District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock. The ordinance passed at that time on a 3-0 vote with Hernandez-Thorpe and Wilson absent from the meeting. It prohibited new tobacco and paraphernalia retailers from opening in the city and those that were legally established prior to the adoption of the ordinance could not be sold or transferred after January 1, 2023. (See related article)
The mayor said the council voted for it because of the problems with youth buying tobacco products and crime at or near the business. But he said to a few of the business owners in the audience, “I’ve been to your business. It’s not a crime hub. But there are some that are in crime hubs.”
District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker said she was never in favor of preventing business owners from selling or passing them on to their heirs. Although Wilson said she thought her colleague made a good point about the business owners wanting to create generational wealth, she nevertheless would not support the revision to the ordinance.
the attachments to this post:
Tobacco Shop Oppty Again
City of Antioch Violence Reduction Initiative
