#police-oversight

#police-oversight

The debate over public safety and policing in Oakland has become more polarized in recent years. On one side, some residents say it's still necessary to focus on reforming the Oakland Police Department, whose scandals have subjected it to the longest federal court oversight program of any U.S. law enforcement agency. And they want to continue building one of the most robust civilian oversight boards in the country, the Oakland Police Commission, which 83% of Oakland voters established through Measure LL in 2016.

OAKLAND - Floyd Mitchell is leaving his job as Oakland's police chief in part because he grew frustrated at needing to answer to so many bosses - or, at least, that is the consensus among several Oakland police and city officials who worked closely with him. The chief, who will have lasted just over a year and a half by his Dec. 5 resignation, is the latest in a long line of top cops to exit sooner than expected.

San Francisco's police commission in 2023 passed a historic policy restricting police officers from using pretext stops. The stops are disproportionately used against people of color and limiting them has shown improvements in racial disparities in policing. The union was, from the inception of the policy, opposed to it, and in October 2024 filed suit. It claimed that the policy prevented officers from obeying the state vehicle code, which it said should take precedence over city policy.

"Our intention is to approach them from a place of neutrality," Dill said, "to look at everything that we can get our hands on in terms of evidence, whether it's interviews, video documents, whatever we have that might be relevant to it and try to start from zero - looking at [the] sheriff's office policies and looking at the facts and do our best to figure out what happened."

The Antioch Police Oversight Commission voted 6-0 to recommend the removal of Commissioner Treva Hadden due to her excessive unexcused absences from meetings. Having missed more than three meetings in a year, the vote places her status in the hands of the Antioch City Council. Hadden was appointed for a three-year term in February 2024 and is currently an ethics investigator in Oakland. If removed, she will be the second commissioner this year to leave before completing her term, following Leslie May's resignation.

Oversight, to be meaningful, must be both independent and trustworthy, Bana said. If these concerns are unfounded, then an independent investigation will validate the commission and restore confidence.

Kennedy's alleged incident resulted in his wife needing stitches, raising serious concerns about domestic assault, while Aiello faces federal charges linked to child pornography.

When you post on social media, you represent that way, that means you think that way, said Payton during Tuesday's city council meeting.