Antioch names Joe Vigil as new interim police chief days after DOJ settles racist text message scandal

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) — On Tuesday, the city of Antioch announced Joe Vigil as its new interim police chief, succeeding Brian Addington, who is retiring.

“Transparency, community trust and reducing crime are our priorities,” Vigil said.

Vigil’s appointment comes just days after signing a 25-page memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s the result of an FBI investigation into Antioch police that uncovered a racist texting scandal.

VIDEO: Some ‘accountability’ may be missing from DOJ settlement in Antioch PD racist text message scandal

“I’ve been working with the (California) DOJ and the federal DOJ since the very beginning of their investigation of us, so I know everyone involved very well,” Vigil said.

The MOU requires a systemic review of all policies, operations and training within the department with an independent observer, to be selected by the end of March.

Acting Chief Vigil replaces Acting Chief Brian Addington, who is retiring.

“I believe we’ve seen the department stabilize. One of our biggest priorities has been recruiting. And that’s progressing well. Right now, we have 80 sworn officers, 65 of whom are active duty,” Addington said.

That’s down from nearly 100 officers before the texting scandal, which forced more than 40 percent of the department’s officers to be placed on paid leave.

Addington said the department is expected to be fully staffed by the end of the year, which is necessary to implement the mandates of the memorandum of understanding.

Still, many community members have repeatedly expressed concerns that police officers involved in the texting scandal will be allowed to return to work. Addington addressed these concerns.

RELATED: CA DOJ meets with victims and activists as investigation into Antioch police continues

“Each of these cases was looked at individually to determine the merits of what exactly happened. And the range was from cessation to some of them being completely exonerated. I’ve said that many times. State law prohibits me from speaking about specific officer-related discipline,” Addington said.

“I am optimistic about the future of Antioch and our police department,” said newly elected Mayor Ron Bernal, who previously served as city manager — during the years the texting scandal broke. “The hiring of a new chief, coupled with the recent agreement between the city, the Antioch Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice, marks a new beginning for Antioch.”

Antioch City Manager Bessie Marie Scott said a nationwide search is underway for a new police chief.

This is Vigil’s second time serving as interim police chief. He first served in 2023 following the retirement of Chief Steven Ford. Vigil has previously worked in Sacramento and Richmond. Vigil said he was interested in the permanent position.

At the same time, Scott said the memorandum of understanding reached with the US DOJ was good.

“It’s actually a very good stipulated agreement. We could have had a full consent decree and been under federal jurisdiction, under federal court, with federal oversight. And that can be really overwhelming for a city.” , Scott said.

MORE: Report finds Antioch officers called police chief ‘gorilla’ in text messages

She said reforms put in place over the past year have likely prevented a consent decree from being put in place.

“Half of the things in this agreement have already been done under Chief Addington. So it’s not insurmountable. Understand that constitutional policing is good for everyone. And so whether or not we have a settlement, we let’s do these things,” Scott said.

Antioch Police Oversight Board Vice Chairman Devin Williams will work with the independent monitor. As a long-time community activist, he believes Chief Vigil will continue the work of police reform.

“I think because he’s a very transparent figure, as a leader, he’s going to bring a lot to the table,” Williams said.

Several civil rights lawsuits have been filed by those who were the targets of racist police texts. These lawsuits seek to obtain consent decrees in place.