Antioquia police chief Stephen Ford to resign

ANTIOQUIA – Antioch Police Chief Stephen Ford has said he will be leaving the scandal-plagued police department after less than a year in office.

Ford said in a written statement Wednesday night that his last day of work would be Aug. 11, calling it a retirement.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and strongly believe the foundation for our organization’s success has been laid,” said Ford, who was appointed permanent secretary last November after a seven-month stint as interim secretary.

“Know our commitment to aligning us with the world. [tenets] Procedural Justice and the Constitutional Police will continue to steer the sector in the right direction,” he continued. “We sincerely hope that our involvement with the community will continue and thrive.”

Ford’s decision to retire was made under the following circumstances: FBI investigation Involved in misconduct by more than a dozen current and former police officers in Antioch and Pittsburgh. The alleged crimes range from violent civil rights violations and possible assaults, to fraudulent plots to increase wages, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice, and weapons violations.

Former San Francisco Police Chief Ford arrived in Antioquia in April 2022 as interim superintendent. A month earlier, the FBI had issued a search warrant and seized the cellphones of several Antioch police, sparking a series of scandals.

last fall, He launched an effort to reform the ministry’s use of force trackingAfter this news outlet, in particular, the incident surrounding police dog bites Reported about the suspicious incident APD doesn’t seem to investigate at all.

And in April of this year, hundreds of racist, homophobic and sexist emails sent to police officers dating back to before he joined the APD were made public. More than 40 police officers (almost half of the police force) were named in the document, including members of detectives, gangsters and SWAT units.

In the document, officers downplayed violence against blacks and Latinx residents, and the scandal led to more officers not yet being investigated by the FBI and not on leave. In recent texts, What the news outlet reported on Saturdaymembers of Ford’s own division called him using the gorilla emoji.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently civil rights inquiry into the departmentHe said the APD had “already been keeping an eye on our radar” as police officers used force against civilians at an alarming rate.

Ford will be called to testify at a hearing on Friday, and his legal team will question officers about racial discrimination and crimes committed within the department. At least five police officers may be unable to testify due to injury leave. According to a declaration filed by Ford.

In recent months, Ford has also clashed with Mayor Lamar Thorpe. both publicly and privatelyAlthough the two men agreed on reforming the police station over whether the city hall or the police station should be in charge of communicating police issues to the public,

Thorpe, who was contacted by phone Wednesday evening, said he had just returned from an American Transit Association meeting in Birmingham and was informed of Ford’s retirement by acting mayor Kwame Reid. He said the mayor has yet to speak to the mayor.

Ford’s departure comes amid the loss of key positions in Antioquia City Administrator, Assistant City Administrator, other City Attorneys, Public Works and Community Development.

“That said, personnel changes don’t catch you off guard because it’s part of life,” Thorpe said. “It means we’re going to have change, and when the change comes, we’ll have to deal with it.”

Thorpe, who is calling for the dismissal of a police officer named in a report of racist text messages, added: I don’t know what other facts are needed. ”