April 21, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.


The Antioch Police Department, REACH Project, Inc., Antioch Unified School District and the Contra Costa County Probation Department collaborated in a truancy sweep of the city.

The program is intended to be supportive rather than punitive. Statistics reveal that high rates of truancy are directly linked to daytime criminal behavior, and truant students are more prone to drop out of school, which places them at a disadvantage in becoming productive adults. Antioch police officers, paired with probation officers, detained, cited for truancy and returned to class a total of 22 students.

Student Support Services from the Antioch Unified School District and personnel from the REACH Project processed and counseled the truants. Future programs will be planned in an attempt to further reduce the truancy rate and increase the accountability and responsibility of both the students and their parents or guardians.

For information on law enforcement in Antioch, visit www.ci.antioch.ca.us/citygov/police.