By The Vanguard Staff
ANTIOCH, CA – An Antioch Police Dept. patrol officer was fired recently, but according to NBC Bay Area, “this is not related to the department’s text messaging scandal” but how the officer handled a traffic stop in 2022.
A lawsuit was filed last month, and the FBI has been investigating a widespread racist text scandal involving Antioch police: (https://davisvanguard.org/2023/04/civil-rights-suit-filed-against-antioch-cops-for-excessive-force-salacious-patterns-of-racial-misogynic-and-homophobic-bigotry/).
And, a reporter is suing Antioch police after being assaulted: (https://davisvanguard.org/2023/05/reporter-files-federal-lawsuit-against-city-of-antioch-lawyers-suggest-police-attack-example-of-systemic-cancer-in-antioch-police-dept/
But, in yet another case, Matthew Nutt was fired in mid-April, said Police Chief Steven Ford, who told NBC that after he viewed bodycam footage he put the officer on leave and, following an internal affairs probe, the department released the officer. No other details were made available.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe, who told NBC he learned of the firing via news reports, said, “Well this is just very frustrating as you can imagine.”
“The police chief said the mayor is not privy to personnel decisions at the police department, but Thorpe wants better communication between agencies considering the current fallout from a racist text messaging scandal involving dozens of its officers,” according to NBC.
“We are in a crisis, and we have to make sure that leaders understand where we’re at. And when you keep information from us, that’s not right because we have to make decisions as a result of information we receive, whether people like it or not,” said Thorpe in an interview with NBC News.
“With a shortage in officers, the mayor said the city will soon be launching a crisis response team for non-violent crimes to address issues around the city that have been handled in the past by officers,” reported NBC Bay Area news.
