ANTIOCH >> Five months after the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office announced a joint probe with the FBI of Antioch and Pittsburg police, Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe has revealed that eight Antioch patrol officers — about 10% of the city’s police force — are being investigated for alleged “crimes of moral turpitude.”

The disclosure, coming during a Monday morning news conference at City Hall, significantly expanded the public stakes in a case that has rocked Bay Area law enforcement and undermined dozens of criminal prosecutions across the East Bay. Thorpe called the number of officers involved “embarrassing.”

The mayor said that at some point a criminal grand jury may be impaneled and that “could increase the number of officers under investigation.” Although Pittsburg police revealed early on that three of its officers were being investigated, Antioch had not until this point given the number of officers involved.

“When I ran for mayor, I did so knowing that I was inheriting years of insufficient oversight of the Police Department at all levels of government,” Thorpe said. “That’s why when I took office almost two years ago, police reform was and continues to be my top priority in the interest of public safety.”

Neither Pittsburg nor Antioch officials have named the officers under investigation or described what the probe entails. But multiple law enforcement sources have said the charges pertain to alleged involvement with cocaine and steroids, and that federal authorities are also reviewing fatal use-of-force incidents committed by some of the officers.

What is also known is that during the course of the FBI investigation, federal prosecutors took the rare step of agreeing to dismiss serious felony charges against four people in cases that relied on the word of Antioch officers.

A review of active and closed cases involving Pittsburg and Antioch officers has also led the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office to drop approximately 40 cases that have been “compromised to the point they cannot be salvaged” because of misconduct by officers who played key roles in the investigations, Chief Assistant District Attorney Simon O’Connell told the Bay Area News Group in July.

Two of the federal dismissals appear to involve Antioch K9 Officer Morteza Amiri. In one case, Amiri claimed to have seen Antioch resident Kardell Smith throw a gun through a window. In the other court file, Amiri is not mentioned, but his police dog, K9 Purcy, is identified as biting a man during a physical altercation. The man was later arrested in December 2020 for allegedly possessing a pistol.

Antioch Officer Eric Rombough was the arresting officer in two other federal cases recently dismissed, according to court records. Rombough, who joined Antioch police in 2017, is one of four officers who shot and killed 57-year-old Guadalupe Zavala during a seven-hour standoff last January. The state Attorney General’s office announced Dec. 13 that it would conduct an independent review of the incident, following a state law that governs the killing of unarmed people by police.

But no publicly available information has linked either man directly to the criminal probe, and interim Antioch police Chief Steve Ford has previously refused to comment about whether Rombough or Amiri were among the officers placed on leave as part of that investigation.

The mayor said efforts were ramping up to get a new permanent police chief and city manager in place soon. A special meeting is tentatively set for Friday where the mayor will advance interim City Manager Cornelius “Con” Johnson as permanent manager, with Johnson expected to later name Ford as the new chief.

At Monday’s news conference, Ford apologized to Antioch residents.

“I sincerely apologize to the profession, the city of Antioch and the general public that we’re in this current situation,” he said, speaking via Zoom. “This organization has reputable, dedicated members who are deeply committed to providing high quality law enforcement services and moving forward will be purposeful in restoring trust, respect and legitimacy from our citizens.”

While calling the alleged police crimes “extremely disturbing,” Ford added that they do not represent the organization as a whole.

“To make sure this organization remains healthy in the near future, we will receive high level leadership and supervisory training to set a strong foundation of internal accountability and external legitimacy,” Ford said.

In regard to the investigation, Thorpe said he couldn’t reveal much. He was unable to say how much longer it will go on, noting that such matters take time.

“As always, this is an ongoing investigation and we want to respect that process, but I understand the frustration of wanting answers to these issues,” he said, noting the eight officers represent nearly 15% of the city’s 57 patrol officers and about 10% of the total police force.

Thorpe added that he is in full support of the investigation, though he added that he is “not making any judgments here today.”

“But if this process reveals any criminal wrongdoing, the sooner we can root out officers that should not be wearing the badge, the better for our city as we work toward building relationships built on trust with our community,” he said.

The mayor also said that in a recent meeting with the Antioch Police Officers Association, it “became clear that officers need stable and steadfast leadership.”

For his part, Ford promised more “forward-thinking leadership” within the promoted ranks to establish a strong foundation and support for procedural justice policies and best practices of policing.

“I’m confident we will re-establish ourselves with those who may be skeptical about who we are and what we stand for. In closing, let me be clear, there was no room for the alleged behavior. I take the reputation of the profession and this organization extremely seriously and I will do everything in my power to move forward in a professional, consistent and transparent manner.”

The mayor and chief will also be asking the City Council today to approve a package of incentives — up to $40,000 and possible help with housing loans — for those who join the Antioch police force and stay for at least five years in an effort to deal with staff shortages.