Federal lawsuit alleges culture of abuse and racism in Northern California police department

A federal lawsuit accuses officers of a Northern California police department of rights violations and malicious treatment aided by city officials’ deliberate indifference.
The lawsuit comes after an investigation revealed racist and derogatory text messages exchanged for years by Antioch police officers.
The texts contained slurs describing Black people and boasted of fabricating evidence and beating suspects.
The 17 officers involved make up 17 percent of the city's police force.
The city now faces calls for reforms to address what texts show as "systemic culture of racism, intolerance and cruelty” in the department.