Major reform coming to Antioch Police Department after $4.6 million settlement in civil rights lawsuit over misconduct
A civil rights lawsuit filed two years ago against the city of Antioch related to a widespread misconduct scandal in its police department is being resolved with a $4.6 million settlement agreement that also includes reforms of the department.
Civil rights attorney John Burris announced the settlement Friday morning and his law firm planned a news conference for 11 a.m. in Oakland to provide more details about the agreement.
The suit was filed in 2023 and involved 45 police officers and will include settlements for 23 people. Burris, in a press release from his firm Burris, Nisenbaum, Curry & Lacy said the agreement will also include "a complete overhaul of the department's policies and procedures that will serve as a roadmap for constitutional policing and benefit the entire Antioch community."
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A federal grand jury in 2023 filed indictments that charged 10 current and former officers and employees from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments with various crimes, including fraud, use of excessive force, and conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. Many of the officers have since been convicted and sentenced, including one, Devon Wenger, who was sentenced earlier this month to more than seven years in prison.
Lawsuits, including the one filed by Burris' office, cited cases of false imprisonment, unlawful searches, unprovoked shootings, unwarranted police dog attacks and other civil rights violations at the hands of Antioch police officers.
Some of the reforms outlined in the agreement, which came after negotiations that included a federal judge, include enhanced training for officers, the establishment of an independent review board to assess complaints, and an independent monitor to oversee the enforcement of the agreement, according to Burris' firm.
Burris also litigated a federal civil rights suit filed in 2000 against the Oakland Police Department that became known as the "Riders" scandal and led to a negotiated settlement and an independent monitor. Oakland police remain under federal oversight related to the case 25 years later.
Antioch City Manager Bessie Scott is among the officials from the city expected to attend Friday's news conference, according to Burris' firm.
