ANTIOCH — Amid a current surge of gun violence within the Sycamore hall, the Antioch Police Division is engaged on a number of initiatives to beef up safety and scale back crime within the metropolis.
Earlier this month, the Antioch Metropolis Council earmarked $500,000 in funding to assist the town’s police division not solely higher reply to hot-spot areas, but additionally fill in gaps within the division brought on by a racist textual content scandal and allegations of widespread misconduct.
The rise in funding will enable for added patrolling by using outdoors regulation enforcement companies. Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington mentioned his division is in talks with its attorneys and insurance coverage danger carriers to carve out a service settlement.
Addington mentioned this service settlement shall be used as a mannequin in using the funding initiative accredited by the Metropolis Council.
Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe mentioned getting assist from outdoors regulation enforcement companies is pressing to assist scale back violence in some hotspot areas. He mentioned the Antioch Police Division is already conducting further patrolling within the Sycamore hall, however that entails shifting officers from different 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,” mentioned Hernandez-Thorpe.
Nevertheless, the mayor acknowledged that no authorities company works “at lightning speed.”
“If there is a government agency that does that, then they deserve a gold trophy,” he mentioned, including he’s assured in getting outdoors assist quickly.
The funding for long-term help from different regulation enforcement companies would see officers earn $200 an hour. Addington mentioned one company has expressed a willingness to ship manpower, however the association can solely be finalized as soon as a service settlement is in place.
The urgency for motion has been most noticeable within the Sycamore space. Up to now this 12 months, there have been 22 shootings, together with 15 in September, police mentioned. The surge of violence final month started with the killing of 21-year-old Elijah Scales, who was shot on Peppertree Manner on Sept. 2.
Addington stays optimistic, nonetheless. Primarily based on ongoing discussions, he mentioned there are a number of cities prepared to assist 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 mentioned.
The Antioch Police Division has been grappling with staffing shortages after a number of officers had been both charged or indicted in relation to a widespread misconduct investigation or for his or her involvement in racist, homophobic, and sexist textual content messages that had been despatched amongst officers. As of August, the APD had 73 out of 115 approved officer positions crammed, however was nonetheless engaged on rising staffing ranges.
Whereas new officers are being employed, Addington mentioned some even have left attributable to harm 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,” mentioned Addington.
Regardless of the staffing scarcity, Addington mentioned his officers have been attempting to stability their workload, however they will clock as a lot as 12.5 hours of shift work. Issues may also get busy over the weekends, particularly 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,” mentioned 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 additionally mentioned further patrols shall be deployed in sizzling spot areas comparable to Sycamore and Cavallo Highway to enhance police visibility and curtail violence – the workforce will embody officers from a neighboring metropolis. This shall be on high of the patrolling that the Antioch Police Division has already performed alongside the Sycamore hall.
In an indication of some success, the division’s violence suppression element on Friday night time carried out 25 visitors stops, which reportedly resulted in two stolen firearms recovered, eight felony arrests, one pound of marijuana seized, one stolen automobile arrest, 4 automobiles towed, and a few 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 mentioned in a Fb publish on Saturday.
The operation was collectively carried out with the Kensington Police Division.
On a broader stage, Addington mentioned he’s concurrently in talks with the Contra Costa County Police Chiefs Affiliation and the Contra Costa County Sheriff to draft out a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that can entail a framework on the work and logistics that the municipal regulation enforcement companies will present. Nevertheless, this MOU is not only unique to Antioch. Addington mentioned it’ll function a reference for regulation enforcement companies within the county in search of backup assist sooner or later.
“The MOU will spell out the purpose and scope and define the roles and responsibilities of the departments (involved),” he mentioned.
A distinct company, which Addington didn’t disclose, is engaged on the draft of this MOU. It’s anticipated to be prepared someday subsequent 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 mentioned.
