By Vanguard Staff
CONTRA COSTA, CA — Dozens of state cases—and at least a dozen federal cases—have been “compromised” and will be halted or reversed because of police officer misconduct and actual crimes, said Contra Costa County prosecutors, who said the officers can’t be “trusted” as witnesses.
In federal court, the district attorney office review found that in at least five gun cases—even those where an accused pleaded guilty or was sentenced—the conduct of Antioch police led to dismissals, according to news reports.
Last March, the FBI and the DA’s office admitted a probe was looking into crimes involving Pittsburg and Antioch police officers. The Bay Area News Group reported an unidentified source told it the investigation “involves several officers and includes a review of use-of-force incidents; cocaine and steroids are also said to be involved.”
The DA’s office won’t confirm the specific crimes, only referring to them as “crimes of moral turpitude,” a legal term that refers to crimes involving “deceit or conduct that would shock the conscience.”
In a statement to the Bay Area News Group, Chief Assistant District Attorney Simon O’Connell said the office’s review discovered “approximately 40” cases have been “compromised to the point they cannot be salvaged” because of crimes and misconduct by officers who played key roles in the investigations.”
O’Connell added, “At this point in time, due to the nature of the criminal wrongdoing and misconduct of the involved officers, approximately 40 cases have been compromised to the point they cannot be salvaged and have subsequently been dismissed,” O’Connell said.
The DA’s office said it found dozens of other cases where an officer is being investigated for wrongdoing, but most of those cases could proceed, at least for now.
