Multiple California Bay Area Police Officers Arrested in Sweep of FBI Raids

A group of police officers in Antioch and Pittsburg, California, were arrested Thursday morning during a series of FBI raids. An 18-month investigation exposed their alleged ties to a criminal network, as reported by Mercury News.

The investigation began in early 2022 when the FBI and the Contra Costa District Attorney received tips about a group of East Contra County police officers allegedly cheating on college tests to qualify for education-based pay raises. As the probe continued, it revealed further alleged crimes committed by Bay Area officers, including violent offenses and drug trafficking, the news outlet detailed.

According to court documents reviewed by local station KRON, the private and professional cell phones of up to 45 Antioch officers were seized. These phones are alleged to contain thousands of racist and homophobic text messages exchanged between law enforcement officers. In one message, an officer reportedly detailed an attempt to knock a Black man unconscious by kicking him in the head during a soccer match.

Antioch employs approximately 100 officers, and nearly half, up to 45, were placed on leave because of the racially charged and harassing language discovered in their text messages, as reported by the news station.

Some of these messages contained racially derogatory terms and even threats against Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Police Chief Steven Ford, both of whom are Black. During the course of the investigation, several high-ranking officers in Antioch, including Ford, chose to retire, Mercury News noted.

Mayor Thorpe characterized the raid and subsequent arrests as reflective of "the issues that have plagued the Antioch Police Department for decades."

He rejected assertions that he was “anti-police.”

“Seeking to reform the Antioch Police Department isn't anti-police; it's in favor of our residents and supportive of officers who have served — and continue to serve — with honor,” Mayor Thorpe told KRON.

The arrests followed an indictment by a federal grand jury in San Francisco, as mentioned in the Mercury News.

This indictment is anticipated to be made public on Thursday.