Antioch Agrees to Pay $4.6 Million, Reform Police Department After Misconduct Suit

The city of Antioch has agreed to implement a series of police reforms and pay $4.6 million to settle a lawsuit over allegations of widespread officer misconduct, officials announced Friday.

The reforms include enhanced training for officers, new restrictions on acceptable use of force and an independent monitor meant to assess the department’s ongoing compliance with the agreement. 

The settlement came more than two years after 23 residents sued 45 Antioch Police Department officers over accusations of physical abuse, widespread use of various slurs and a lack of supervision or accountability.

“The important part is not that we have put the agreement together,” civil rights attorney John Burris, who filed the complaint on behalf of the residents, said. “The important part is to implement it and that it’s followed, and that people are held accountable if they, in fact, do not follow the rules and procedures set forth.”

Burris said his clients reached the $4.6 million settlement agreement with the city earlier this year. He appeared alongside city government officials on Friday morning to sign the agreement.

“The last few years have been difficult and for many residents deeply unsettling,” Antioch City Manager Bessie Scott said. “Trust was strained, confidence in institutions took a serious hit and many in our community have carried that weight in ways that don’t throw up in the headlines.”

Some of the changes to police department policy seemed to address specific allegations of misconduct from the suit.

One plaintiff, Trent Allen, was arrested on murder charges in 2021. Allen alleged that Antioch officers knocked him unconscious and then continued to kick him.

During an FBI investigation into alleged criminal activity by Antioch and Pittsburg officers, investigators found a trove of racist and violent text messages from the arresting officers.

That federal investigation ultimately resulted in the arrests of several other officers from both Antioch and Pittsburg for a range of charges, including illegally obtaining and distributing anabolic steroids, destroying evidence and faking college credits to get pay bumps.

Former officer Eric Rombaugh sent messages saying he kicked Allen’s head like a field goal while using racist slurs against Black people. Rombaugh, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy, testified that he and former officer Morteza Amiri would send each other photos of the injuries they caused and congratulate each other on uses of force. Amiri was later convicted of using excessive force with his police K-9.

The department’s new policy states that head strikes with hands, feet or hard objects are now explicitly prohibited unless no reasonable alternative is available and it’s justifiable force.

Antioch officers are also required to establish a database for any incidents where force was “used and/or displayed, articulated, or suggested,” including K-9 deployments.

Complaints of officer misconduct relating to discriminatory policing, use of force or unbecoming conduct must now be forwarded to the chief of police within three days and the city manager is also required to be kept in the loop.

“The community, when they make a complaint against an officer … they need to know that matter is going to be investigated timely and objectively, fairly. That doesn’t always happen,” Burris said.

The agreement expires after two years of compliance. If the city has not reached compliance after 5 years, an extension would have to be determined in court.