Antioch Police Text Messages 'Unambiguously, Historically Racist': DA

ANTIOCH, CA — The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has made two investigative reports available to the media and the public that detail text messages and images it is alleged were sent and received by certain members of the Antioch Police Department in March 2021.

The first report of 21 pages was released Thursday in light of multiple media requests for access and because the DA’s Office became aware the report was already leaked.

Initially, the court ordered the release of the investigative report April 7 to the defense attorneys in a charged felony criminal case in which police misconduct directly overlaps and impacted the case, District Attorney Diana Becton said.

"For over a year, the FBI and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office have engaged in a joint federal and state criminal investigation of sworn law enforcement officers from the Antioch Police Department and Pittsburg Police Department," Becton said in an April 7 statement. "The broad range of offenses under investigation involve crimes of moral turpitude."

According to Becton, the joint investigation with the FBI revealed Antioch police officers exchanged text messages which contained unambiguously and historically racist speech directed toward the suspects the officers were investigating.

"The racial animus expressed by officers in the recovered text messages trigger additional statutory concerns under the Racial Justice Act," Becton said.

RELATED: Federal Lawsuit Filed Over Racist Texts By Antioch Police Officers

Judge Maier ruled that the offensive texts in the two investigative reports should be disclosed to the defense in the charged felony case.

"She added, the reports will be redacted to shield cell phone numbers and urged caution in the distribution of the language and images contained in the texts as they can spark more hatred toward Blacks and Latinos," Becton said.

After Becton learned the first investigative report was obtained and distributed beyond the parties involved in the felony case, the DA's Office released the report Thursday to the public and the media.

Over the weekend, media interest in accessing the second report increased when a copy of it was leaked to the press and public by an individual or group outside of the DA’s Office, according to Ted Asregadoo, spokesperson for the DA's Office.

On Monday, the DA's Office released the second report for public view. Redactions were added by the DA’s Office to balance public interest with the sensitive nature of what is contained in the report, Asregadoo said.

“The District Attorney’s Office agrees with the court advisory in the distribution and publication of this document as it contains explicit words and images that are hurtful, offensive, and inflammatory,” he said.