K-9 officer assists in apprehension of one suspect; shut down portions of Somersville Road for several hours

By Antioch Police Department

Today around 11:27 am, APD Dispatch began receiving 9-1-1 calls reporting a traffic collision at West 10th and G Streets. Callers reported one of the involved vehicle occupants was seen in possession of a firearm. Officers immediately responded and learned from bystanders that the armed individual got into a gold Chrysler 300. Officer Ewart arrived and saw a matching vehicle fleeing the scene. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle fled and eventually got onto Highway 4 westbound.

The Chrysler exited at Somersville Road, ran a red light and collided with another vehicle exiting eastbound Highway 4. Two occupants in the Chrysler remained at the scene and one fled on foot. Officer Amiri and Canine Purcy located him hiding in the rear of a business and he was arrested along with the other occupants.

Officers found two firearms (including an assault weapon) a ski mask, wig, and different license plates in the vehicle. The Chrysler also had switched license plates mounted on the vehicle. All three individuals in the Chrysler were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The motorist who was hit by their vehicle was also transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

APD investigators will be determining the Chrysler’s involvement in other potential crimes. We ask residents to please check their cameras in the areas of G Street, West 10th Street, and D Street. If you have any information on this incident, please call our Dispatch Center at (925) 778-2441. You can also send an anonymous text tip to 274637 with the keyword ANTIOCH.

We would like to thank the business owners and employees who helped out officers as we searched for the individual who fled. We extend our thoughts and well-wishes to all those impacted from this incident. We would also like to thank personnel from CHP, Contra Costa Fire and American Medical Response for their assistance at the scene. #antiochpdca  @chpgoldengate @contracostacountyfire @amr_social #antiochpdca

 

In coordination with the Antioch Unified School District middle schools, Unity theme

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Antioch Rotary Club and Antioch Unified School District will host a virtual Day of Empowerment for 700 8th-grade girls in celebration of International Day of the Girls. Our theme this year is “Unity” and will be the focus during the 3½-hour Zoom event.

“We are very committed to the success of the youth in our community of Antioch. We want our young ladies to know their options are not limited and there is a wide range of careers available to them,” said Tirrell Muhammad, Antioch Rotary President.

The virtual event will include keynote speaker San Francisco Mayor London Breed and will kick off with motivational speaker Tracie Berry McGhee, M.Ed. She will lead her “I am Enough” series, which rallies against society’s pressure for girls to be perfect.

In addition, a panel discussion will be held featuring four community leaders and positive female role models. AUSD Superintendent Stephanie Anello, infectious disease specialist Dr. Yenjean Hwang, probation officer LaTasha Jones and chemical engineer Caroline Salazar will discuss their professional careers and answer questions from students. Each panelist was chosen to inspire young women to pursue their future goals and aspirations.

As part of this project, the Antioch Rotary Club has been working closely with the principals of all Antioch middle schools, along with two charter schools and Holy Rosary.

“Antioch Rotary is very proud to be involved with AUSD and their middle schools to bring such a powerful program to our young ladies, again this year,” Muhammad added. “We hope to also bring our Kings’ Conference which focuses on African American males in the spring.”

For further information regarding this program or the Kings’ Conference, contact program coordinator Sal Sbranti, at salsbranti@comcast.net.

For redevelopment of former administration building site, build fire stations and fund new airport terminal; savings of $7.3 million also generated from refunding existing bonds

By Susan Shiu, Director, Office of Communications and Media, Contra Costa County

Thursday morning, Feb. 25, 2021, Contra Costa County sold $97,420,000 of lease revenue bonds with Barclay’s Capital Inc. serving as underwriter. Proceeds from the bond sale will fund infrastructure projects including redevelopment of the former County Administration Center complex in Martinez, a portion of a new Aircraft Terminal at the Buchanan Field Airport in Concord and construction of two fire stations in Pacheco and Bay Point.

In addition, the County refunded $48.4 million of outstanding bonds resulting in significant savings to the County.

The bonds funding the new construction projects have a true interest cost of 2.27% with a term of 20 years. The refunding bonds have a true interest cost of 1.80% and shortens the term of the previous bonds by two years, from 19 years to 17 years. The refunding bonds resulted in a net present value savings to the County of $7.3 million.

“The results from today’s bond sale are proof of the County’s reputation of strong financial management within the municipal market,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors Diane Burgis. “This allows the County to secure financing for important public infrastructure projects at very attractive rates to better serve our residents.”

According to the California State Treasurer, lease revenue bonds (LRBs) are a type of revenue bond. Lease revenue bonds usually finance the construction of facilities, including government office buildings, correction facilities, courthouses, and fire facilities. However, unlike revenue bonds that use money generated by the project (a bridge toll) to repay investors, lease revenue bonds have a lessee (government agency) that pays rent to use the facility. The rent payments are used to pay back investors who purchased the bonds used to finance the construction of the facility. LRBs are secured by lease payments made by the party leasing the facility (school or office building) that was funded by the bond issue.

“Historically low interest rates and the County’s strong credit profile have allowed us to advance critical projects and refund existing debt for cost savings,” stated County Administrator Monica Nino.

Contra Costa County has been rated “AAA” by Standard and Poor’s since 2012 and, most recently, was upgraded by Moody’s Investor Service to “Aa1” from “Aa2” on February 16, 2021. Both credit rating agencies have attributed their high ratings for Contra Costa County to strong financial management, with policies and practices well-embedded in County operations. They have also pointed to a strong local economy with a large, diverse tax base.

By Allen Payton

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton issued a statement regarding Thursday’s California Supreme Court decision to uphold the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1391 (Lara).

Proposition 57, passed in the November 2016 general election, requires prosecutors to commence all cases involving a minor in juvenile court. Senate Bill No. 1391 enacted in 2018, amended Proposition 57 to prohibit minors under the age of 16 from being transferred to adult criminal court.

In the case of O.G. v. The Superior Court of Ventura County, the Court of Appeal held that Senate Bill 1391 is inconsistent with Proposition 57 and thus invalid. The state Supreme Court overruled the lower court’s decision.

“We agree with the majority view that Senate Bill 1391 was a permissible amendment to Proposition 57 and we reverse the judgment in this case,” the decision reads.

“Today’s unanimous decision by the Supreme Court is an important moment for the criminal justice system to give children a chance at rehabilitation for crimes they committed during their youth,” said Becton. “I have always believed this law was constitutional and should be followed. Our local judges in Contra Costa County have also agreed with me.”

“The juvenile justice system currently is not working,” she continued. “I established a task force to examine how to reform our juvenile justice system. We must think differently on how we treat children and ensure we strategically allocate resources to focus on prevention and rehabilitation efforts.”

The full Supreme Court decision is available here.

Scott Alonso, PIO, CCCDA contributed to this report.

Claims “police brutality” and “excessive use of force” in the APD as reasons

By Allen Payton

In a press release Thursday evening, Antioch District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker announced her support for police reforms ahead of the special council meeting to discuss them and before first hearing from the public on the specific reforms on the agenda, Friday night, Feb. 26. She cited the recent deaths of two men following interactions with Antioch Police officers, in late December and early Wednesday morning. That’s in spite of the fact no information has been released by the APD about the first, in which Angelo Quinto died three days after his interaction with police, and it’s not clear that he was still in police custody at the time, and the investigations into both have yet to be completed.

She also claims her reasons for support of the reforms are the need “to undo the practices and culture that allow for police brutality,” and “conditions at the department that have led to a culture of excessive use of force” but without providing any data to back up her accusations. Torres-Walker also writes about the protests this past year and that “many have been assaulted, harassed and have had their lives threatened,” without being clear that she’s referring to protesters or Antioch residents in general, nor if those things were done by Antioch police officers.

In addition, Torres-Walker claims that the citizen input provided during the Bridging the Gap discussions was inadequate because it didn’t include enough members of the public, even though she was one of the council members who voted to hold the three forums and approved the format during their meeting on Dec. 15. The format limited the total number of participants to just 75 Antioch residents or business owners per discussion. Lastly, she claims “the public has been given insufficient time to voice their concerns” during the forums.

Nevertheless, Torres-Walker and Mayor Lamar Thorpe (who proposed his reforms during a press conference on Monday – to which she was specifically not invited – and also called the special meeting) want to move forward with his proposals both before the report on the Bridging the Gap discussions from the paid consultants has been completed, and only after input is given during public comments Friday night.

Following is Torres-Walker’s press release posted on her council campaign Facebook page and on her campaign website:

“Antioch (is) in need of significant and immediate police reform with true community oversight. Over the past month, we have lost two lives while in custody of our police department.

My heart and prayers goes to the impacted families of our recent tragedies, and I ask our community to demonstrate peace and solidarity for one another. The recent tragedies and loss of life in our community are unacceptable.

I want you to know that I feel the pain our community feels right now, and I too am in many emotions. With that in mind, I also aim to lead with compassion and ensure that justice and change are coming.

Life is precious and we matter in Antioch.

As the newly elected city councilmember for the Antioch City Council, I will wield this position to hold the council accountable.

Working with law enforcement agencies across Contra Costa, I know first-hand how difficult but necessary it is to undo the practices and culture that allow for police brutality.

Residents have been calling for change and true community oversight of the police department for years. However, at a meeting in 2017, the City Council informally decided to not purchase body cameras for police officers and stated that the priority was to hire more police officers for patrol.

At the time, outfitting 105 officers with cameras would cost roughly $107,000.

Chief Brooks’ total pay and benefits in 2017 totaled $430,928.10. A police officer’s salary in Antioch at the time with regular pay would be between $100,000 and $127,000, with most being around $113,000 (including total pay and benefits, this amounts to $250,000 for one officer).

Four years later, there are still no body cameras on officers.

There is no integration between mental health services and crisis management.

There is no citizens’ oversight committee.

The entire past year, Antioch community members have been protesting against Antioch’s police department’s excessive use of force.

Many have been assaulted, harassed and have had their lives threatened.

Our Bridging the Gap discussions, meant to foster public participation, are severely limited by the attendance cap and the public has been given insufficient time to voice their concerns. As a community organizer, this is unacceptable in terms of public participation and inclusion.

We need change to the police department as well as a true citizens’ oversight committee.

I know in my years of transforming law enforcement, it is not easy. It does begin with accountability. I want residents to know that you have my commitment to uncovering and remedying the conditions at the department that have led to a culture of excessive use of force, where our own community members’ lives have been lost and many others have been harmed.

Residents of Antioch deserve this change and deserve it now.”

The special Antioch City Council meeting will be held at 5:00 p.m. and can be viewed via livestream on the city’s website at https://www.antiochca.gov/live_stream, on Comcast Channel 24, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.

To make a public comment:

1. Fill out an online speaker card by 3:00 p.m. Friday at: https://www.antiochca.gov/speaker_card.
2. Provide oral public comments during the meeting by clicking the following link to register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://www.antiochca.gov/speakers

 

Plus, a requirement that all outside attorneys by selected by City Attorney for all departments; the 7th meeting held by the city council this month, including Bridging the Gap discussion

By Allen Payton

The Antioch City Council will hold a special meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday to discuss Mayor Lamar Thorpe’s proposed police reforms, which include body worn and vehicle cameras, for which the majority of council members have publicly expressed support.

In addition, the council will consider adopting a resolution that requires all outside attorneys hired by city department be selected by City Attorney Thomas Smith.

Questions were sent to both Thorpe and the city’s Public Information Officer, Rolando Bonilla, asking why the meeting is being held at 5:00 p.m., before those who work out of town are home to give their input to the council members. They were also asked why the outside attorney matter, is on the agenda. Have there been that many outside attorneys hired by the various departments? And if so, how many? Is it a cost issue? Or is this targeted at the police department for their outside investigations and is part of the police reform agenda?

Finally, Thorpe was asked if Antioch Police Chief T Brooks will provide a presentation on what his department is doing on each proposed reform before the council hears public comments and discusses them. As of publication time, he had not responded.

Asked if his department chooses their own, outside attorneys for independent investigations and other work Brooks responded, “Yes, we currently are able to choose our own attorneys.”

Following are the police reforms that the council will discuss, receive public comments, and provide direction to staff:

1. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE
2. OFFICER TRAINING ENHANCEMENTS / MODULES
3. DEMILITARIZATION EFFORTS
4. INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY, INCLUDING BODY WORN AND IN VEHICLE CAMERAS
5. ESTABLISHING INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF ON DUTY POLICE OFFICER COMPLAINTS
6. POLICE HIRING AND SCREENING PRACTICES
7. NOTIFICATION PROTOCOLS FOR MAJOR INCIDENTS

and

8. RESOLUTION IMPLEMENTING A POLICY FOR THE CITY, INCLUDING ALL OF ITS DEPARTMENTS, REGARDING THE SELECTION OF ATTORNEYS PROVIDING CONTRACT SERVICES, AND THE REVIEW, AUTHORIZATION AND EXECUTION OF ALL AGREEMENTS FOR LEGAL SERVICES AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY ATTORNEYS TO THE CITY

The meeting can be viewed via livestream on the city’s website at https://www.antiochca.gov/live_stream, on Comcast Channel 24, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.

To make a public comment:

1. Fill out an online speaker card by 3:00 p.m. Friday at: https://www.antiochca.gov/speaker_card.
2. Provide oral public comments during the meeting by clicking the following link to register in advance to access the meeting via Zoom Webinar: https://www.antiochca.gov/speakers

Unknown suspect; city’s third shooting in two days, fourth in less than a week

By Lieutenant John Fortner, Antioch Police Department

On Thursday, February 25, 2021, at approximately 12:18 AM, Antioch police officers were called to the Sutter Delta Medical Center for an 18-year-old man that was dropped off at the emergency department suffering from a gunshot wound.

During the investigation, officers learned the male victim was shot at a location in the 500 block of East 18th Street. Officers responded to the area and collected evidence related to the shooting. The victim provided limited information, and a suspect has not been identified. Currently, the victim is listed in stable condition.

The case will be referred to the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau – Violent Crimes Unit for further evaluation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Friday night special council meeting premature; Mayor Thorpe’s and council’s reforms should be “based on findings” and wait for Bridging the Gap report

APD needs to improve communication with council, public

Make new aspirational goal to be “The safest city in California with over 100,000 population”

For the past year, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has been pushing for police reforms in our city. Last year he announced his support for those from the 8 Can’t Wait nationwide campaign, and five of his own. Thorpe’s latest list of six reforms may sound good, and while I support or don’t have a problem with some of them, he’s yet to provide any data to support the need for most of them in Antioch. Also, at the same time, neither Thorpe nor any of the council members have offered any proposals to increase and improve the city’s ability to fight and reduce crime.

Following are the 8 Can’t Wait policy recommendations Thorpe said, last year, he wanted implemented:

1. Ban police use of chokeholds and strangleholds, including the carotid restraint (now, state law)
2. Require officers to de-escalate situations whenever possible
3. Require officers to exhaust all options before shooting, including less lethal force
4. Ban officers from shooting at moving vehicles
5. Establish a use of force continuum that restricts using the most severe force to most extreme situations
6. Require comprehensive reporting for each time an officer fires or points their weapon at someone
7. Require verbal warnings before using deadly force (already an Antioch policy)
8. Require officers to intervene to stop excessive force by other officers (already an Antioch policy)

Thorpe also proposed his own five reforms, at that time: Demilitarize our local police; Increase police accountability; Improve police hiring practices; Excessive use of force and Budget appropriations.

Additionally, Thorpe said he had signed the Obama.org’s “My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Pledge”, to make Antioch an “MBK Community” which asks local officials to:

1. Review the police use of force policies in my community
2. Engage my community by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in our review
3. Report the findings of our review to my community and seek feedback within 90 days of signing this pledge
4. Reform my community’s police use of force policies based on findings

When asked for his thoughts on Thorpe’s proposed reforms at that time, Antioch Police Chief T Brooks responded, “I look forward to hearing the discussion…on this proposal.  I am especially interested in what specific reforms they believe are necessary at the Antioch Police Department.”

In addition, Brooks responded the next day informing the public that five of the 8 Can’t Wait reforms had been or were already being implemented by his department, and why he doesn’t recommend implementing all of them. Those not being implemented or which the chief doesn’t recommend are numbers 3, 4 and 5 and he explained why.

More and Latest Reforms

As presented during his press conference on Monday, Thorpe is now offering six areas of reform including Mental Health, Training, Demilitarizing, Accountability & Transparency, Hiring, and Communication. The added reform, in the area of mental health, would include forming a crisis team to accompany police officers on mental health distress calls and require annual mental health assessments of police officers and dispatch workers. His proposed training reforms includes “implicit bias training” which is based on the assumption that our police officers interact with different people differently based on their skin color, ethnicity or other characteristics.

The reform of communications with city officials stems from Thorpe’s claim that the APD did not inform him or the other council members about the death of an Antioch resident, Angelo Quinto in late December following an interaction with police, and that he had to learn about it on social media the first week of January. However, at Wednesday’s press conference, Chief Brooks, who said he was on vacation at the time, stated someone in his department had contacted the mayor about the man’s death, at that time. A request for documentation to support that claim has been requested.

Thorpe also provided more details about the six reforms he is now asking the city council to consider.

Requests for Data

Asked on Monday, other than the large vehicle the APD has that’s mainly used during parades, how has the department become militarized and when was the last time the APD purchased, Thorpe did not respond. That and the question, when was the last time the department purchased or received any military equipment were posed to Chief Brooks. He too did not respond.

The chief was also asked how many citizen complaints the department has received over the past year, three years and five years and how they were addressed. While Brooks has yet to respond, those are the questions the council members need to ask before making any decisions.

Decisions Must Be Based on Findings

Thorpe’s proposed reforms and comments during the press conferences appear to assume Antioch Police officers are violating people’s rights and not following best practices nor use of force policies. Yet, if he wants to make Antioch an MBK city, then Thorpe should follow the pledge he’s signed and make sure his comments and decisions are “based on findings” and that he and the council have first reviewed the “police use of force policies in my community”. Those should be part of any agenda item on that proposed reforms.

During his press conference on Monday, Thorpe said he wants the council to “review and audit all police complaints,” and “proactively review our use of force policies.” Again, that should be done before voting on any reforms.

Other than approving body cameras and police car dash cams, for which a majority of council members have publicly expressed support and are long overdue – since they protect both public, as well as police officers from false accusations – as well as improved communications by the department, the mayor and council need to slow down on the rest of the proposed reforms and base their decisions on actual data of what’s happening in our city.

Special Council Meeting Premature

In a reaction to the in-custody death, early Wednesday morning, of a man who, based on the police report, was high on drugs at the time of his interaction with police, Thorpe has now called for a special council meeting, tomorrow night at 5 p.m. to begin discussions on his proposed reforms.

Yet, the report from the three Bridging the Gap forums, in which hundreds of Antioch residents and business owners participated, is not yet completed and released by the paid consultants hired to facilitate the process.

So, while Thorpe’s pledge to “Engage my community by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in our review” may have been met, he’s now going to ignore that input and wants the council to do the same when deciding on his reforms.

Hear from Chief Brooks & Get Data, First

Most importantly, Thorpe’s proposed reforms aren’t based on proof of need. For the past year we’ve been hearing the phrase “follow the science” regarding government officials’ responses to COVID-19. Yet, where is the scientific evidence to support the need for any of the reforms he’s proposing? The council should make data-driven decisions. Not base them on what is happening in other cities across the country, what sounds good, or after being caught up emotionally or politically in some national movement.

If they want to consider any of the reforms the council must first hear from Chief Brooks – our city’s leading expert on police services and fighting crime – about what is already happening within the department and direct staff to provide the data and evidence to support any and all of the proposed reforms.

Yes to Police Cameras, Mental Health Support

I definitely support body and dash cams and those should be approved immediately. I also don’t have a problem with including mental health professionals on calls for service involving crisis interventions. If that’s working elsewhere to reduce the need for police interaction with some individuals and the need for jail time, when what will be more appropriate and effective is either medicine or to be in a substance abuse counseling program, then let’s consider it – again, based on the need from the data. I also support improved communications by the police department.

Better APD Communications

At the same time, Chief Brooks and the APD need to do a better job communicating with and informing the public, especially in matters involving a death following an interaction with police. While he was on vacation at the time of Quinto’s death in December, that shouldn’t have prevented Brook’s second-in-command from issuing a press release and informing the public that it had occurred following an interaction with Antioch officers. Police agencies issue press releases about such an incident even while their investigation continues, all the time. We shouldn’t have to wait months to hear from APD, such as with the Angelo Quinto incident and death, the arrest for arson by Antioch resident and protest leader Shagoofa Khan, and the incident involving Councilwoman Torres-Walker’s sons, which is being investigated by an outside agency as she demanded.

In fact, until that investigation is completed, Torres-Walker needs to recuse herself from voting on any police reforms, to avoid making a biased decision.

Focus on Crime Reduction, Criminal Reform

Most importantly, where are the mayor’s or other council members’ proposals to increase public safety and improve the Antioch Police Department’s ability to fight and reduce crime in our city? That was the focus of both Measures C and W, in which we the people voted twice to tax ourselves in order to increase the number of sworn police officers on the force and still should be.

While the good news is most Part-I crimes have been reduced in Antioch over the past several years, we have a long way to go to ensuring our city is safe for all of our residents and in all parts of town.

The council needs to be asking what decisions they can make and policies they can approve to help the APD hire more police officers and sooner to get us to at least 126 sworn police officers, to achieve the long-desired goal of 1.2 officers per 1,000 population.

What we also haven’t heard from the mayor or any council members is how can we have criminal reform. What programs are they proposing to deter people from committing crime, to reduce gang violence, to reduce recidivism of formerly incarcerated individuals, etc.? Torres-Walker runs a non-profit that works with ex-cons to help them find jobs, mainstream them back into society and help reduce recidivism, which is laudable. Surely, in her interactions with her clients, she’s learned from them what can be done in that area. Where are her proposals on that? What happened to Operation Ceasefire which she’s previously mentioned, for example? Is that still being implemented in Antioch?

New Aspirational Goal, Don’t Make Things More Difficult for Police

Perhaps some of the police reforms are needed. But until they have the data and demonstrate to the public the need for them is proven, our elected leaders must get back to focusing on reducing crime, rather than on efforts to reform what may not need reforming. While those efforts do get headlines and attention from regional media, I’d love to instead, someday write a headline that reads “Antioch rated safest city of over 100,000 population in California”. Let that be our city leaders’ goal and have them work and focus on that. In fact, it should be on the top of the list of their new aspirational goals. The police are already hamstrung by the voter-approved state Prop. 47 which reduce the penalty for stealing up to $950 of merchandise to a misdemeanor, and by a soft-on-crime District Attorney and a COVID-19 situation that has resulted in the release of criminals back into our community. Let’s not make things more difficult for the Antioch Police Department to fight crime and improve public safety in our community.

Allen Payton is the Publisher and Editor of the Antioch Herald, AntiochHerald.com and ContraCostaHerald.com. He is a former Antioch Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman. During his term on the city council 19 sworn officers were added to the police force and crime was reduced citywide by 40%, and in the city’s highest crime area by 80%. He’s been a newspaper publisher in Antioch for over 15 of the past 19 years.