Ellen McDonnell said any cases involving the department also should be dismissed.
ANTIOCH – Contra Costa’s top public defender is calling on the district attorney’s office to release the names of more than 40 Antioch Police Department officers who exchanged or received, as well as to dismiss any public defender cases involving the embattled law enforcement agency.
According to McDonnell’s letter, at least 16 of the 45 involved officers hold leadership roles in the police department. They include detectives, sergeants and lieutenants, she said. This newspaper has reported that several officers, including members of the gang unit, shared racist views and boasted about falsifying police reports and made light of using violence against Black residents.
“The public simply cannot have trust or confidence in any criminal prosecution involving APD,” McDonnell said. “No one should be charged with a crime based on the report of a police department so thoroughly riddled with corruption. I request you immediately dismiss all pending public defender cases involving APD, agree to release our incarcerated clients, and cease filing any APD-related cases.”
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