Los Angeles, May 10 (EFE).- California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced this Wednesday an investigation into the Antioch City Police in a case related to civil rights violations and alleged racist texts sent by agents.
In a press release, Bonta explained that he will investigate allegations of excessive force being used against members of minorities by officers in the city, located in the San Francisco Bay area.
The California Prosecutor’s Office will also investigate complaints about racist comments sent by text among uniformed officers, which involve about 40% of the police in that city.
The scandal of the texts was uncovered by a report from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office that revealed racist, sexist and derogatory comments sent by the agents.
Currently, 38 of the 99 officers with the Antioch Police Department are on administrative leave due to the investigation.
Bonta said that “when there are allegations of potentially widespread bias or discrimination, it can undermine the trust that is critical to public safety and our justice system.”
“It is our responsibility to ensure that we establish a culture of responsibility, professionalism and zero tolerance for hateful or racist behavior, in or out of the service,” the prosecutor added.
The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched independent investigations into the allegations.
For his part, the mayor of Antioch, Lamar Thorpe, thanked in a statement shared by ABC7 television the investigation undertaken by Bonta and asked the Antioch Police Chief, Steve Ford, to immediately fire the officers identified by the FBI as the authors of racist texts.
“Anything less than the firing is a clear sign that the Police Department is not serious about real reforms,” Thorpe insisted.
