ANTIOCH — Incoming Mayor Ron Bernal is focused on addressing public safety and crime, particularly in the Sycamore corridor, which has experienced a string of gun violence.
While putting an emphasis on needs such as a permanent community-focused police chief, the re-establishment of neighborhood watch programs and other holistic approaches, Bernal, who is expected to be sworn in as the next mayor, said one of the overwhelming responses he’s received from Antioch residents is the lack of safety in the city.
The former Antioch city manager said the multiple shootings in the city — three that took place on Election Day alone — wasn’t surprising, based on how things have been handled previously.
“They don’t feel safe in Antioch, and they want something different, the residents want a different plan of attack,” said Bernal, who as of Friday’s latest election results was leading current Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe with 62.77% of the vote.
The Sycamore corridor, which has been plagued by shootings, will be Bernal’s core focus, but that can only be done with the right police chief in place and ensuring the department has enough manpower, he said.
“We need to have the right police chief that’s going to establish the culture, accountability, the transparency that’s going to attract (lateral) officers that have the community policing model (in mind)…where they want to be out there building relationships and engaging with the community,” said Bernal.
Bernal said that while Interim Antioch Police Chief Brian Addington is doing a “fine job,” it is pivotal to have a permanent police chief who is committed to community policing and building relationships with residents.
“This (new) chief is going to have to get out and develop relationships (with residents), which will develop trust in our community,” said Bernal.
He acknowledged that rebuilding trust will take time, especially in the wake of the police texting scandal and in some neighborhoods where there’s already a disconnect between residents and law enforcement.
Bernal also acknowledged that the hiring of the police chief falls under the city manager’s responsibility, but it is also the responsibility of the city council and him, as the mayor, to clearly communicate the expectations of the person needed to take over the police department.
“I want to make sure we have somebody, who possibly has dealt with the same issues in other agencies, where a department is being reconstructed so they can bring in their ideas,” he said.
Bernal said he would also like the hiring process of the police chief to be public, adding it’s important for the community to meet the individual leading the force.
Bernal is also geared up to revive neighborhood watch programs, which had around 200 groups at one point, but the numbers have dwindled over the years with less than a dozen left. Such groups will engage residents, looking out for each other and allowing the community to be partners with law enforcement in addressing crimes in their neighborhood.
The area of the city near Sycamore Drive, Mahogany Way, Peppertree Way and L Street has been a hotbed of violence. Antioch recorded 15 shootings in September alone, police said. The surge of September violence began with the killing of 21-year-old Elijah Scales, who was shot on Peppertree Way on Sept. 2.
Early last month, the Antioch City Council allocated up to $500,000 for its gun violence reduction initiative to fund long-term assistance from outside law enforcement agencies, whose officers would earn $200 an hour. Still, the city remains mum on revealing which agency or agencies it will partner with until the deal is sealed.
When asked about the funding approved by the city council, Bernal said he would need to know more on the planning and effectiveness of this strategy, which was initially budgeted at $100,000 and then raised to half a million dollars.
“How quickly can this be implemented because we have an immediate need in the Sycamore neighborhood that we cannot be taking weeks, months and years to develop,” he said. “We need to see numbers that show the effectiveness of it.”
One of the first things Bernal plans to do for the Sycamore corridor is to call for a meeting with business owners, residents and faith-based groups and nonprofits to address the issues in the neighborhood that have been “going on for a long time” but are “getting worse.”
But beyond community policing and neighborhood watch programs, Bernal also called for other holistic approaches to tackle the problems in the Sycamore corridor.
One idea is to work with the Antioch Unified School District to have after-school programs, mentoring, tutoring and coaching for students. Other ways include providing job training programs for young people who are involved in crime so they can turn their lives around.