Antioch community hopeful as police reform continues with new leadership
The Antioch Police Department has a new interim chief, but the community is hopeful as the work to reform the department will continue.
"When you have gone through so much hell, you're optimistic about pretty much everything," said Tachina Garrett with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
Garrett is a longtime Antioch police reform advocate. This was a day she wasn't going to miss, and she wasn't alone as a packed house gathered for a changing of the guard.
"And I believe that we have seen the department stabilize," said outgoing Interim Chief Brian Addington, who is now re-retiring after joining the department to help during the turbulent aftermath of the police texting scandal.
"There's a lot of cameras," laughed Captain Joe Vigil, who now becomes interim chief for a second time, as the city conducts a search for a permanent chief, a job Vigil says he would very much like to apply for.
"Transparency, community trust, and crime reduction are our priorities," Vigil said Tuesday. "I will update our residents on milestones as we progress on these initiatives."
"That is what the people of Antioch expect is accountability," Garrett said.
Garrett had kind words for both the outgoing and incoming chiefs, who she says have brought some renewed faith among the community.
"They brought a certain light to the city that needed to be seen out of the darkness that we've been due over the last few years," she said of the leadership.
But then there is the work to be done. Newly seated Mayor Ron Bernal called the city's agreement to allow federal oversight of police reform a positive step and far preferable to a consent decree.
"We want our community to know that we are taking measurable steps in the right direction, to address past abuses, bring the necessary leadership, training, accountability, and transparency needed to heal our community," Bernal said.
"We've got a new mayor that's coming in," Garrett said of the changes. "He's crispy, clean. But he used to be the city manager. So, a lot of people are still very angry with that. It's just not going to change overnight."
So, with significant changes in leadership, Antioch, and its police department, move ahead, under the eye of the federal government, and those like Garrett, who are ready to see change.
"I'm going to stay optimistic," she said of the transition. "I believe that Antioch can be 1,000 times better than what it has been. And it has nothing to do with mayorship, it has to do with the people and the police."
As for the police, the department is now up to 80 sworn officers, with 65 on active duty and six more on the way. They think they will reach full staffing of 115 officers in about a year. The first public hearing on selecting a permanent chief will be on Jan. 16.
