California police department agrees to reform after investigation into racist texts

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with Antioch, California, and its police department following an investigation into alleged discriminatory conduct by the city's officers against members of the public.

The department launched its investigation after alleged text conversations between dozens of Antioch Police Department (APD) personnel between September 2019 and January 2022 were made public following a separate investigation by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office and the FBI.

In the alleged text messages, officers used racial slurs to describe Black residents, applauded use of force incidents, and mocked George Floyd and the protests concerning his death at the hands of law enforcement. They also allegedly contained homophobic and sexually explicit text messages.

“Fair and nondiscriminatory policing is fundamental to effective law enforcement, especially for those agencies that receive federal funding,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In working with the Justice Department to institute policing reform, Antioch Police Department sends a strong message that the discrimination and misconduct that prompted this investigation will not be tolerated. The agreement we have secured will ensure that Antioch’s policing practices are free from discrimination in the road ahead — the community deserves nothing less.”

APD and the City of Antioch have committed to receive guidance from an appointed expert law enforcement consultant to implement police reforms concerning use of force, discrimination, misconduct, hiring, and more.

"The actions that prompted this investigation were unacceptable and failures occurred," read an online statement from the APD.

It continued, "The City of Antioch is fully committed to ensuring that such incidents never occur again. Our collaboration with the USDOJ underscores our dedication to fostering trust, transparency, and accountability within our Police Department. Under this five-year agreement, we will implement and enhance comprehensive policies, practices, training programs, community engagement initiatives, and oversight mechanisms to ensure that officers uphold integrity and fairness while addressing misconduct swiftly and effectively."

The city of Antioch and at least nine police officers are currently facing a lawsuit following the release of the texts over alleged civil rights violation against residents.

In responses to the complaint, one defendant argued that they are protected by qualified immunity, and that they did not violate plaintiffs’ rights and did not violate clearly established law: "Defendant denies each and every, all and singular, of the allegations contained in said [complaint], and each purported cause of action therein contained, and further denies that any Plaintiff was, is, or will be injured in the sums or sums therein alleged or otherwise or at all."

The department declined to comment at the time. ABC News has reached back out for comment.

ABC News' Tesfaye Negussie contributed to this report.