Stolen truck driver flees to Taco Bell – arrested

By Antioch Police Department

On Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, Antioch Police were notified of a stolen pickup truck entering our city that failed to stop for our friends at the Pittsburg Police Department.

The truck was being followed from the sky by the STARR3 helicopter from the CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF.

Instead of engaging in a ground pursuit, we decided to let the helicopter follow the truck in the hopes it would park someplace.

Instead of stopping, the driver continued to drive erratically throughout our city until crashing into a vehicle at Lone Tree Way and Mokelumne Drive. The driver fled into a shopping center, but thanks to the deputies aboard STARR3, along with Dispatcher Lacy Scott, Officer Dibble was able to find and arrest her before she slipped into a Taco Bell.

The victim of the collision suffered minor injuries, but his vehicle was totaled. This case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, who charged the arrestee with multiple felonies, including hit-and-run causing injury, driving a vehicle without the owners consent, possession of a stolen vehicle, and enhancements for prior related convictions. Ironically, she had been released a few months ago on her own recognizance from another Antioch stolen vehicle arrest, which is still pending. Her bail from this latest arrest was set at $225,000 and she remains in-custody awaiting trial.

We are grateful for the assistance we receive from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office with their Air Support Unit. This is how law enforcement works together to keep Antioch safe! Speaking of keeping things safe, did you know property crime in Antioch is down -32.8% since 2012 and auto theft specifically is down -44.3%. How ‘bout them numbers?

#antiochpdca

 

First-in-the-nation legislation labeled “Cure the Conflict” to require prosecutors recuse themselves from investigating, prosecuting police misconduct if they’ve received campaign contributions from police unions

Does not include similar provisions for contributions from criminal defense attorneys

Becton wants to take it further and ban contributions from police unions to DA candidates; refuses to answer questions

By Allen Payton

In her continued effort to limit the influence of police unions in supporting and electing candidates for district attorney, Contra Costa DA offered support on Friday, Oct. 23 for the bill by California State Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) that will require elected prosecutors to recuse themselves from the investigation and prosecution of law enforcement misconduct if they accept financial contributions from law enforcement unions.  The legislation will be sponsored by the Prosecutors Alliance of California and co-sponsored by numerous District Attorneys.  It will be introduced when the new legislative session convenes in December.

“This is about trust in law enforcement, and trust in the independence of our elected prosecutors,” said Bonta.  “As people across our cities, states and our nation have come together to raise their voices and demand greater justice, we must cure the conflict of interest that gives, at minimum, the appearance that police are not held accountable due to the proximity and political influence of law enforcement associations and unions.”

“Now, more than ever, prosecutors have the responsibility to promote equal justice and build trust with the communities we serve. In order to do that, we must eliminate the conflict of interest existing when elected prosecutors accept police union support,” said San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.  “It is only when prosecutors are not financially beholden to law enforcement unions that the public can be confident in the decisions prosecutors make about holding police officers accountable.”

“Law enforcement unions generally finance the legal representation of an accused officer, and when prosecutors receive financial support from the entity funding the defense a conflict of interest arises for elected prosecutors,” said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton.  “To restore trust in law enforcement we must cure this conflict.”

Recently, the Prosecutors Alliance of California called on the State Bar to create a new rule of professional responsibility to preclude prosecutors from taking police union money.  The Alliance took this step in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in an effort to increase the independence of prosecutors from police. The State Bar is scheduled to reconvene tomorrow to continue discussions on the topic.

According to a June 1st press release from Becton’s office, “The Prosecutors Alliance of California is a non-profit organization that provides public education, support and training to prosecutors and their offices. The Prosecutors Alliance of California Action Fund is a social welfare organization that advocates for criminal justice reform legislation, engages and educates the public on criminal justice ballot measures, and supports candidates for state and local office who advocate for comprehensive reforms to our justice system.” (See related article)

The bill by Bonta to be considered by the Legislature will take a different path. Rather than precluding prosecutors from soliciting or accepting law enforcement union contributions as Becton supported earlier this year, it requires a prosecutor that accepts a law enforcement union’s contribution to recuse themselves from the decision-making process if one of the organization’s members is suspected of criminal conduct. In such cases, the State Attorney General’s Office would be asked to handle the case.  This will help reassure family members, community stakeholders and the public that decisions are made based on the facts and the law, not political horse trading and back scratching.

According to Becton and Bonta, “by closing this loophole, the Legislature will reduce the presence of conflicts of interest and ensure independence on the part of elected prosecutors. This legislation also aspires to help reestablish community trust in the integrity of prosecutors at a time when national events have damaged that trust.”

A question was sent to Becton on Oct. 23 asking her if she also supports DA’s recusing themselves from cases involving prosecution of public defenders or criminal defense attorneys who have contributed to the campaigns of elected prosecutors.

That was along the same lines of the questions sent through Scott Alonso, her department’s public information officer, earlier this year to which Becton never responded. She was asked specifically, will she try to ban political campaign contributions to DA candidates from criminal defense attorneys and public defenders and not just police unions?

Following is the email message with questions sent to Alonso for Becton on June 1 regarding her press release entitled, “LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS CALL ON STATE BAR TO CREATE NEW ETHICS RULE TO END THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN PROSECUTORS AND POLICE UNIONS – New Ethics Rule Would Help Restore the Independence, Integrity, and Trust of Elected Prosecutors by Preventing Them From Taking Donations From Police Unions”

“Scott,

Please ask DA Becton to clarify her comment because it’s not clear what she’s trying to say and answer my questions, below.

“The legal representation of an accused officer is generally financed by their law enforcement union,” said Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton.  “It is illogical that the rules prohibit prosecutors from soliciting and benefiting from financial and political support from an accused officer’s advocate in court, while enabling the prosecutor to benefit financially and politically from the accused’s advocate in public.”

Is she saying that currently a prosecutor cannot solicit and benefit from financial and political support from an attorney representing a police officer accused of a crime while in court or during the court case? But the police officer’s attorney can support the prosecutor financially and politically when not in court or during the court case?

Please clarify who the accused is in her comment about the “accused’s advocate”. I assume it’s the same accused officer she refers to twice before in her comment. But, not sure.

Also, are she and the rest of the DA’s willing to forgo any financial contributions from criminal defense attorneys and public defenders? How about no financial support from any organization and only from individuals who live within their counties? How far should this go to ensure fairness in prosecutions? Isn’t this really one-sided? Also, if the police unions have so much influence in our county and they all backed Becton’s opponent in the last election how did she still win? Isn’t she in effect attempting to violate the free speech rights – which political campaign contributions have been defined as by the courts – of the police unions?

Alonso responded that because the questions were political, he could not respond, even though the press release was sent from the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office through his email account. Further efforts asking him to forward the questions to Becton and getting her to respond were unsuccessful.

The latest question about the proposed legislation by Bonta and the questions from June 1st were sent to Becton’s personal email address on Friday, Oct. 23

Previously, a phone call to her was made asking her about the issue, but Becton was watching a Zoom meeting and said she didn’t have time to discuss it.

To date, Becton has yet to answer any of the questions posed to her about her efforts to only limit the influence of police unions in elections for district attorneys and not also limit the influence by criminal defense attorneys.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Office of the District Attorney, Contra Costa County contributed to this report.

In emails received Saturday morning, Oct. 30, the Antioch Police Officers’ Association issued the following endorsements for Antioch Planning Commissioner and former Mayor Pro Tem and Councilman Manuel “Manny” Soliz, Jr. and Antioch Police Crime Prevention Commission Chair Sandra White, completing the list of candidates they support for the Antioch City Council in this year’s election:

By Antioch Police Department

Since October 1st, your APD officers have recovered 33 illegally possessed firearms, the majority of which have been from convicted felons, or individuals already on parole or probation. Most of these seizures have occurred from traffic stops , where an individual in the vehicle was determined to be on parole or probation, or there was some other cause that allowed officers to search the vehicle. The rest of these seizures occurred during search warrant operations conducted by our Investigations Bureau, in conjunction with our Special Operations and Problem Oriented Policing (“POP”) Units.

Our violent crime rate for 2020 is trending downward from previous years, -39% since 2012 and -10% since last year. We attribute this in large part to increased staffing (120 strong and growing!) With a bolstered police force, our officers have more time to conduct proactive enforcement contacts and ongoing investigations.

Another HUGE factor on our side is the community we serve – Antioch STANDS UP in the face of crime, and works with us to keep things safe. There are a number of ways you can help us protect our city:

If you see something suspicious, you can call our Dispatch at (925) 778-2441 or 9-1-1 if you think it’s an emergency. You can also text 9-1-1 from a cellphone if you are unable to call. Some things you might be asked about include the location of occurrence, along with descriptions of persons, vehicles, and license plates.

If you have a tip regarding drug dealing or an ongoing crime problem, you can contact our POP Team by emailing popteam@antiochca.gov. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can text a tip to 274637 and include the keyword ANTIOCH in your text. All text tips are encrypted and cannot be traced to the sender, unless you choose to give us your contact information.

If you would like to report a traffic problem in your neighborhood (including speeding vehicles, stop sign runners, etc.) click on this link www.antiochca.gov/police/traffic-unit and fill out the requested information.

If you would like to report abandoned vehicles on your street, including those with expired registration or illegally parked, you can leave a message on our abandoned autos hotline (925) 779-6981, or send them an email at parkingenforcement@antiochca.gov.

Working together , we can keep Antioch a safe place to live, work and play!

#antiochcapolice #antiochstrong  #apdpopteam #apdtrafficunit

 

On Tuesday, Antioch Police Chief T Brooks posted his first video message, known as a vlog, on the department’s Facebook page sharing good news about the increase in staffing to 120 sworn and reductions in Part 1 crimes.

Following is the transcript of his vlog:

“Hey, everyone! T Brooks here, YOUR Chief of Police in the City of Antioch.  During the past few weeks, I’ve had several community members contacting me in an effort to educate themselves about the police department.  And as I reflect back on several of these conversations, I realized they revolved around three specific topics:

• Police officer staffing
• Crime statistics, and
• Response times to calls for service.

So, I figured, ‘Hey! Maybe I can share this information with our loyal social media fan base? I mean, we do have more than 23,000 followers, and I’m sure many of you have these same questions and would love to hear the answers directly from me.’

Now in the past, when I wanted to share information with you, I’d type out a post for people to read.  And for those of you who know me, you know I can get pretty wordy with my posts.  I mean well and try to be as thorough and transparent as possible. But lately, I’ve seen a lot of people making videos to communicate their messages to the public. And I thought, ‘What the heck?  I’ll give that a try.’ So, here we go:

But before I begin, I want to establish a benchmark for the context of the conversation, and provide a little background on what helped us get to where we are now:

The year is 2012, and Antioch suffered its most crime ridden year in recent recorded history.  With more than 1,000 violent crimes reported, Antioch had the unfortunate distinction of being named the fourth most dangerous city in California.  Staffing at the police department was severely impacted due to the recession, and we were grossly understaffed.  At that time we didn’t have the resources or ability to do anything proactive to prevent crimes from occurring.  In fact, we struggled just to respond in a timely manner AFTER a crime occurred.

Our community, fed up with feeling unsafe, made a bold move.  In 2013, Antioch residents put their trust in our elected officials and police department when they overwhelmingly passed Measure C, a half-cent sales tax that, in part, had a goal of increasing police staffing to reduce crime and improve 911 emergency response times.  Then in 2018, with the expiration of Measure C looming, Antioch residents once again chose to tax themselves an additional half-cent, and approved Measure W.  And while Measure W had a broader focus on how funds would be used, public safety remained one of the identified priorities.

In short, seven years ago our community opted to invest in public safety. And we here at the Antioch Police Department took the trust you put in us very seriously. So, what’s the ultimate outcome of this investment?

Police Officer Staffing:

• Prior to the recession, Antioch PD was fully staffed with 126 police officers. But then reduced budgets cut our staffing to a low of 78 officers in 2012.  Thanks to Measure C and now Measure W, we currently have 120 police officers working to keep you and your families safe!  That’s a 54% increase in police officers – putting the Antioch Police Department staffing at a level we haven’t seen in almost a decade.

Response Times:

• In Antioch, response times are measured from the moment a dispatcher picks up the phone, to the moment an officer arrives on scene.  Back in 2012, the average response time to an emergency call for service reached a dismal 11 minutes and 4 seconds.  Today, our average response time is down to 7 minutes and 35 seconds – which means we’re getting to those most in need of help 31% faster than before!
• But not every call for service we go to is an emergency.  In fact, emergency calls make up only about 9% of all the calls we handle.  Approximately 48% of calls are categorized as urgent, 34% are considered routine, and 10% are informational.  Response times to these calls also saw a significant decrease.  On average, we’re now getting to urgent calls 41% faster, routine calls 77% faster, and informational calls a whopping 91% faster!

Crime Stats:

• As I mentioned earlier, the recession adversely impacted our community as well as our police department.  With the budget cuts we experienced, both police officer and non-sworn positions were defunded and crime surged in Antioch.  There were 1068 violent crimes, and 4757 property crimes reported in 2012.  But as our staffing grew and we were able to work proactively as well as reactively, as our response times to calls decreased and we were able to provide a higher level of service, and as we were now able to engage the community in ways that make our community safer, we are now in a much better place than we were before.  By the end of 2019, Antioch recorded its seventh consecutive year of declining Part I crime, with violent crime down 39% from 2012 levels, and property crime down 32%.  And this downward trend is continuing through September of 2020, with violent crime currently 10% lower than last year, and property crime 9% lower – which is definitely great news!

Now please don’t confuse my happiness at the fact we might see our eighth straight year of declining crime as being content.  Actually, I’m far from it.  We still have a lot of work to do to reduce crime in our community even further.  And I definitely don’t want to lose ground and go back to crime levels we saw in the past.  But with your continued support, along with the hard work and dedication of the amazing men and women of the Antioch Police Department, I believe we’ll continue making progress, and Antioch will be a safer place to live, work, and play.

So, there you have it, my first attempt at a vlog (as my kids called it).  Let me know what you think.  If you liked the video and want to see more – I can do that.  If not, at least I tried.  I hope you found this information helpful, and thank you for allowing me to be your chief of police!  It truly is My honor!

 

By Antioch Police Department

Please take a moment to help us welcome our two newest police officers to the City of Antioch family. Officer Pedreira and Officer Navarrette recently graduated from the 190th Academy Class at the Law Enforcement Training Center in Pittsburg. Here is a little bit about each of them:

Daniel Navarrette

Daniel, affectionately known as DJ, was born in Walnut Creek and grew up in Antioch. He attended Liberty High School in Brentwood, where he played football and baseball. After graduating high school, DJ attended Los Medanos Community College where he received an AS Degree in criminal justice. In 2015, DJ enlisted in the United States Navy. His job while in the Navy was working in intelligence. He was stationed at the NSA near Washington DC for three years. While there, he won the Sailor of the Quarter Award and was nominated for Sailor of the Year. DJ returned to California in November of 2019 after his service was complete. In his free time, DJ enjoys spending time with his nearly one-year old daughter, Frankie, and wife, Erin.

Nicco Pedreira

Nicco grew up in Brentwood, California with his two younger brothers, Tre and Cole. Nicco‘s father, Ponch, along with several other family members, are law enforcement officers which had a huge influence on the way he was raised. Nicco attended Heritage High School where he played football. After high school, Nicco attended Los Medanos College and worked two jobs. Nicco always knew he wanted to be a Police Officer, so he took this time to go on numerous ride alongs with different departments to find the right fit for him. Nicco found that fit with the Antioch Police Department. In his free time, Nicco likes to spend time with his first son, who was born while he was in the Academy.

In a video posted on the Antioch Police Department Facebook page yesterday, Chief T Brooks reported that this brings the force to 120 sworn officers and that it hasn’t been at that level in almost 10 years.

 

By Antioch Police

While you were sleeping. Thursday night Oct. 16, 2020 at about 11:00 pm, Officer Ibanez spotted an Audi reported stolen from San Francisco driving on Highway 4 in our city. He called for backup and our friends at the @Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office showed up to help. A traffic stop was attempted on Highway 4 near 242 in Concord. The driver failed to stop and led us on a short pursuit, which abruptly ended when he popped a tire near the exit to 680. The occupants fled from our infamous bracelet fittings into an open field, but were eventually captured and fitted nonetheless.

Inside the vehicle, officers found three firearms, including an AR-pistol, which the occupants were not allowed to possess due to prior convictions. One occupant was already on probation out of San Francisco for robbery and firearms violations.

Since they had already covered most of the distance to the County Jail in Martinez (before their tire popped), we provided courtesy transportation for those last few miles. Both were booked on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, illegal firearm possession, and probation violation. Our hope was they could also tell others why driving a stolen vehicle through Antioch is not a good idea.

Special thanks to the fine deputies at the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office for helping us with this incident!

Folks, we are seeing double-digit firearm recoveries over the last few days. Stay-tuned for an update on our efforts to keep Antioch safe.

#antiochpdca    CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF-OFFICIAL PAGE

 

 

By Antioch Police Department

The Antioch Police Department was awarded a $53,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

The safety of everyone traveling on our roadways is the focus of a grant awarded to the Antioch Police Department. The grant will assist in the Antioch Police Department’s efforts to reduce deaths and injuries on Antioch roads.

We are excited to be working with OTS and eager to use these grant funds to improve traffic safety within our city. Traffic safety has always been a top priority for our agency and community. This grant will assist us in reaching our traffic safety goals.

The one-year grant is for the 2021 federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

The grant will fund a variety of traffic safety programs, including:

• Patrols with emphasis on alcohol and drug-impaired driving prevention.
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
• Patrols with emphasis on education of traffic rights for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Patrols with emphasis on motorcycle safety
• Patrols with emphasis on awareness and education of primary causes of crashes: excess speed, failure to yield, failure to stop at stop signs/signals, improper turning/lane changes.
• Community education presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Collaborative efforts with neighboring agencies on traffic safety priorities.
• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.