SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a move that deepened the scandals engulfing the Antioch Police Department, a Contra Costa County judge on Friday released the names of 17 city police officers accused of using racist slurs, jokes and memes in text messages over a period of more than two years.
The names include the president of Antioch’s police union, as well as five officers already under investigation by the FBI for alleged crimes. The judge also named 11 other Antioch officers — at least eight of whom have been put on leave over the group texts, which reportedly included frequent use of racial slurs as well as racist memes.
In releasing the names, Judge Clare Maier urged caution, saying the content of the messages was so offensive it could “incite further hate or racial animus.”
