The FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office announced Friday that there's an ongoing criminal investigation into "crimes of moral turpitude" involving Antioch and Pittsburg police officers.
The district attorney's office said authorities on Wednesday "conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity at multiple locations" connected to the investigation.
"When you talk about 'moral turpitude' that suggests that it's crimes of dishonesty and if it’s color of authority that could be a federal offense as well as a state offense," Steven Clark San Jose attorney and legal analysts told KCBS Radio.
In September of last year, the Pittsburg Police Department received a tip about an officer being "involved in illegal activity," the Pittsburg Police Department said in an Instagram post.
On Wednesday, three police officers with the Pittsburg Police Department were put on paid administrative leave after a meeting regarding the investigation, police said.
"It's going to be a very broad investigation involving search warrants, forensic evaluations of social media and cell phones, and I think it's just the beginning," Clark said. "You see these officers go on leave but you could see more based on this ongoing investigation."
Pittsburg police said they will be hiring an "independent outside investigator" to administer their own investigation within the department.
Prosecutors are reviewing active and closed cases involving officers under investigation and the two police departments and their respective cities are cooperating with the investigation.
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