ANTIOCH — Amid a recent surge of gun violence in the Sycamore corridor, the Antioch Police Department is working on multiple initiatives to beef up security and reduce crime in the city.
Earlier this month, the Antioch City Council earmarked $500,000 in funding to help the city’s police department not only better respond to hot-spot areas, but also fill in gaps in the department caused by a racist text scandal and allegations of widespread misconduct.
The increase in funding will allow for additional patrolling by utilizing outside law enforcement agencies. Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington said his department is in talks with its lawyers and insurance risk carriers to carve out a service agreement.
Addington said this service agreement will be used as a model in utilizing the funding initiative approved by the City Council.
“Hopefully, this (agreement) will be signed off in the next two to three weeks,” Addington told this news organization. “The reality is, getting law enforcement officers to come into a city takes a little bit of time to do, but we’re making it happen as quickly as we can.”
Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe said getting help from outside law enforcement agencies is urgent to help reduce violence in some hotspot areas. He said the Antioch Police Department is already conducting extra patrolling in the Sycamore corridor, but that entails moving officers from other areas.
“So the city wants to bring in the additional outside help for the extra patrol in the Sycamore corridor to ensure all areas are covered equally,” said Hernandez-Thorpe.
However, the mayor acknowledged that no government agency works “at lightning speed.”
“If there is a government agency that does that, then they deserve a gold trophy,” he said, adding he is confident in getting outside help soon.
The funding for long-term assistance from other law enforcement agencies would see officers earn $200 an hour. Addington said one agency has expressed a willingness to send manpower, but the arrangement can only be finalized once a service agreement is in place.
The urgency for action has been most noticeable in the Sycamore area. So far this year, there have been 22 shootings, including 15 in September, police said. The surge of violence last month began with the killing of 21-year-old Elijah Scales, who was shot on Peppertree Way on Sept. 2.
Addington remains optimistic, however. Based on ongoing discussions, he said there are a few cities willing to help Antioch.
“No city is going to come in and say we’re going to send you two officers, seven days a week, but some have expressed interest in sending in some officers,” he said.
The Antioch Police Department has been grappling with staffing shortages after several officers were either charged or indicted in relation to a widespread misconduct investigation or for their involvement in racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages that were sent amongst officers. As of August, the APD had 73 out of 115 authorized officer positions filled, but was still working on increasing staffing levels.
While new officers are being hired, Addington said some also have left due to injury or sought retirement.
“For now, there’s not a single officer at the Antioch Police Department on administrative leave for any disciplinary-related action, so that’s good,” said Addington.
Despite the staffing shortage, Addington said his officers have been trying to balance their workload, but they can clock as much as 12.5 hours of shift work. Things can also get busy over the weekends, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.
“We have upwards of 40 calls, so while we are doing everything we can to reduce the gun violence, we also have to look into these different incidents in the city when residents call for help,” said Addington. “It may be a domestic violence dispute, car theft, shoplifting, or a dispute between neighbors. So particularly over the weekend, we get very busy.”
Addington also said additional patrols will be deployed in hot spot areas such as Sycamore and Cavallo Road to improve police visibility and curtail violence – the team will include officers from a neighboring city. This will be on top of the patrolling that the Antioch Police Department has already done along the Sycamore corridor.
In a sign of some success, the department’s violence suppression detail on Friday night conducted 25 traffic stops, which reportedly resulted in two stolen firearms recovered, eight felony arrests, one pound of marijuana seized, one stolen vehicle arrest, four vehicles towed, and some methamphetamine confiscated.
“Our commitment to this community is unwavering. We’ve launched gun violence suppression teams who will operate in two-man cars, focusing on areas most impacted by gun violence. The families in this community deserve peace, and we are resolute in restoring safety and order here,” the APD said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
The operation was jointly conducted with the Kensington Police Department.
On a broader level, Addington said he is simultaneously in talks with the Contra Costa County Police Chiefs Association and the Contra Costa County Sheriff to draft out a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will entail a framework on the work and logistics that the municipal law enforcement agencies will provide. However, this MOU is not just exclusive to Antioch. Addington said it will serve as a reference for law enforcement agencies in the county seeking backup help in the future.
“The MOU will spell out the purpose and scope and define the roles and responsibilities of the departments (involved),” he said.
A different agency, which Addington did not disclose, is working on the draft of this MOU. It is expected to be ready sometime next month.
“We have MOUs in place with the county, but those are for major disasters or riots. This time, we’re trying to get a MOU covering a broader range of things. It may be sideshow activities or violence reduction,” Addington said.
