California Police Department Faces Backlash: Racist Text Scandal Ends in Major Reforms

Following a probe into a racist text message controversy, the Department of Justice and a Northern California law enforcement department have signed a multi-year reform deal. The communications, which began in 2019, were allegedly participated in by a number of Antioch Police Department personnel. In the spring of 2023, the revelatory investigation was released to the public. To be honest, it was devastating. In the wake of the incident, Tamisha Torres-Walker, a member of the Antioch council, stated, “We had more than two years of healing sessions in the community with therapists and counselors and resources and talking with families.”

The department agreed to follow a 25-page document on January 2 that included requirements for hiring a law enforcement consultant, updating its non-discriminatory procedures, rules, policies, and police training, as well as guidelines for hiring, disciplining, and terminating employees. In April 2023, 14 cops were named in the FBI and Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office investigation. When texts revealed the use of racist slurs including the N-word, disparaging remarks about the city’s Mexican community, and offensive comedy ridiculing George Floyd’s death, former Mayor Lamar Thorpe demanded that the accused men and women be fired. Not all of the officers who participated in the previous police department culture have left.

The number of officers who will return is unknown,” Torres-Walker said. The text conversation exposed “an entrenched culture of hatred, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and violence” across the department, according to county public defender Ellen McDonnell that same month. Following public outcry, a civil rights complaint was launched on behalf of five locals and a deceased man’s family, alleging that Antioch police “experienced malicious treatment” around the time the messages were written.

“We will use the resources that we have and the legal tools to ensure that police officers do not discriminate based on race,” U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey stated in an interview with NBC Bay Area on January 3. The Department of Justice is “committed to making sure that police officers don’t discriminate based on race,” according to U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey, who in an interview with NBC Bay Area on January 3 stated that “we will use the resources that we have and the legal tools at our disposal to make sure that those who do are held accountable.” Mayor Ron Bernal told the news organization, “This five-year settlement agreement reflects our commitment to addressing unacceptable actions and past failures.”