Agreement aligns with U.S. DOJ reforms; this part of case only includes attorney’s fees

By Allen D. Payton

The City of Antioch announced Friday morning, Dec. 19, 2025, it has reached a settlement agreement “that strengthens accountability and transparency in the Antioch Police Department (APD) through updated policies, independent oversight and measurable reporting. The agreement is structured to align with the U.S. Department of Justice Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) governing APD reforms.”

The settlement is subject to court approval and is associated with Trent Allen, et al. v. City of Antioch, et al., United States District Court, Northern District of California (Case No. 3:23-cv-01895-TSH), a class action lawsuit against the City, as well as police officers and chiefs. As previously reported, Allen is one of four suspects convicted of the 2021 murder of Arnold Marcel Hawkins and the attempted murder of Aaron Patterson. He and a variety of other plaintiffs claimed civil rights violations by the officers.

Oakland civil rights attorney John Burris and associates filed the lawsuit in April 2023, naming five then-current and former officers, for their racist and other offensive texts and mistreatment of citizens, plus, three past police chiefs, the City of Antioch and Does 1-100. (See related articles here and here)

The plaintiffs included Shagoofa Khan, the 2017 Antioch Youth of the Year who was one of the lead protesters in the city in 2020, was arrested a few times including once for felony arson in January 2021 and at former Chief Tammany Brooks’ farewell party later that year, and was the subject of one of the vile texts; Adam Carpenter, Joshua Butler, Diego Zavala, the son of Guadalupe Zavala, who was unarmed when he was shot and killed by police in 2021 after a seven-hour stand-off with police (whose last name is listed in the lawsuit as Savala), and Allen, whose murder case resulted in the release of the texts.

The suit described what occurred between the named Antioch Police officers and the plaintiffs as a “conspiracy and/or conspiracies” and claims they were “the failure and/or refusal (by the former chiefs)…to prevent or aid in preventing” them from occurring. The suit further claimed the four department leaders “maintained customs, policies, and/or practices which encouraged, authorized, condoned, ratified, failed to prevent, and/or failed to aid in the prevention of wrongs conspired to be done by” the named officers.

The suit sought multiple forms of damages including “past, present and/or future wage loss, income and support, medical expenses”; special damages, any and all permissible statutory damages, and attorneys’ fees.

UPDATE & CORRECTION: According to City Manager Bessie Scott, the settlement does not include any money. But she later shared the City will pay attorney’s fees. Then during the press conference on Friday, Dec. 19, Burris said, “There were two parts of the case, one involving the individuals, which we settled, 23,” earlier in the year. Those did involve payments which will be reported on later once City staff has provided a response to the Public Records Act request by the Herald.

Independent Consultant to Oversee Settlement Provisions

The settlement will be administered by the same independent consultant responsible for oversight under the U.S. DOJ MOA to ensure coordinated implementation and consistent monitoring.

The independent consultant will oversee APD’s implementation of the settlement’s provisions, including providing technical assistance, reviewing affected policies, and issuing regular reports on APD’s progress toward substantial compliance. The independent consultant will also ensure APD remains in substantial compliance for the required period of time. If APD is not making adequate progress, the monitor may seek further orders of the court to compel compliance.

The independent consultant is required to report to the City Council every six months. Reports to Council will be public. The City also anticipates public reporting related to community engagement/community policing efforts and statistics on traffic stops and police interactions related to use of force.

“This settlement agreement reinforces the reform work already underway, ensures sustainable transparency measures and updates core policies to modernize how APD continues to provide constitutional policing services to the residents of Antioch,” said Scott.

“This agreement will ensure we continue prioritizing the community and safety,” said Chief of Police Joe Vigil. “We will continue working towards greater transparency, accountability and community engagement as we work through this agreement.”

Key elements of the settlement include:

Expanded transparency and oversight

• Data collection and analysis requirements
• Audits and reviews
• Reporting requirements to track progress and compliance

Policy and procedure updates to modernize APD operations

• Non-discriminatory policing
• Use of force, including canine deployment
• Hiring and promotions
• Complaint intake, review, and resolution
• Supervisor responsibilities and accountability
• Police officer communications
• Body-worn camera use

Community engagement

• Provisions to expand APD’s community engagement and support accountability through public-facing practices.

The City will provide additional information as implementation milestones are established.

Jaden Baird, City of Antioch PIO contributed to this report.