Oakland Police Department
| Oakland Police Department | |
| Common name | Oakland P.D. |
| Abbreviation | OPD |
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| Patch of the Oakland Police Department. | |
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| Badge of the Oakland Police Department | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1853 |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of California, USA |
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| Jurisdiction of the OPD. | |
| Legal jurisdiction | Oakland, California |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 250 Frank H Ogawa Plaza Oakland, CA 94612 |
| Police Officers | 637 |
| Interim Chief responsible | Sean Whent |
| Website | |
| www.oaklandpolice.com | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is a civilian law enforcement agency responsible for policing the city of Oakland, California. Since a 2003 incident involving alleged police misconduct, the Oakland Police Department has been under federal oversight. Ever since, the department has struggled with a potential federal takeover.
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History [edit]
The Oakland Police Department was formed in 1853. It succeeded law enforcement duties for Oakland, California. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office. The Oakland Police Department has definitely had a very controversial history. Oakland is a very tough place to police. It is high in violent crime, gangs, drugs, and other crimes. It has had controversies stemming back all the way to the Black Panther Party.[1] Oakland officers have been known to use excessive force in the past. The first incident that was brought to attention was when rapper Tupac Shakur was beaten and arrested by two officers for jaywalking.[2] A suit was filed against the police department by Shakur for $10 million dollars. Community activists say too many OPD officers live outside the city and commute, thus separating themselves from Oakland's daily life. That feeling was notoriously reinforced by the emergence of a gang of rogue police officers in the 1990s dubbed the "Rough Riders." They were accused of planting evidence, beating up suspects and falsifying police reports to frame their victims. Their actions eventually resulted in a class action lawsuit against the city, and Oakland ended up paying out millions of dollars in compensation to at least 119 plaintiffs.Scores of drug cases were dropped because of tainted evidence. However, after the officers were fired from the OPD, a jury that had no black members on it ended up clearing the four Rough Riders on eight of the counts against them, and were unable to reach a decision on 27 others.[1] After the rough riders case, the Oakland Police Department was put under external over sight by a district judge. The Oakland Police Department recently came under fire for there handling of the Occupy Oakland protests. The 2009 shooting of Oakland police officers took place on Saturday, March 21, 2009. It left four officers dead. On March 7, 2013 U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson appointed former Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Thomas Frazier as Compliance Director. Frazier will be responsible for implementing civil rights reforms stemming from the 2003 case Allen v. City of Oakland. Due to an ongoing lack of progress on reforms, in 2012 the Oakland Police Department very nearly underwent a federal takeover; however, the Oakland Police Department reached a settlement with the federal government that avoided a takeover but still gave unprecedented powers to a court-appointed director.[3]
Uniform & Equipment [edit]
The uniform of the OPD consists of a dark navy blue shirt. On the left side of the chest, the badge is pinned. The type of badge differs upon rank. Higher ranks tend to have nicer more detailed badges compared to lower ranking officers. Officers are also issued a standard police hat. Navy blue pants are worn with a blue stripe going down them. They also have belts holding their equipment. For crowd control, OPD officers normally have helmets and more protective gear. Most SWAT uniforms are standard.
Weapons [edit]
Oakland officers are allowed to carry .40 caliber firearms. They are given a list of certain firearms that they may or may not carry during the academy. The department also issues Glock 19 chambered in 9mm.[4] The X26 taser is often carried with most officers. Officers also carry pepper spray and batons as do most other officers. Cruisers may be armed with Remington 870 shotguns. SWAT Teams often have Colt AR-15 style weapons and H & K UMP.
Vehicles and Air Support [edit]
Police cruisers normally consist of Ford Crown Victorian Police Interceptors. Most vehicles are standard. The helicopter for the Oakland Police is named ARGUS after a character in Greek mythology.[5]
Salary [edit]
The salary of Oakland officers is another controversial issue. Police Officer Entry Level current annual salary is $69,912 to $98,088, the second highest in the country.[6] Additional pay increases are granted to higher-ranking officers.
Ranking structure [edit]
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief |
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| Assistant Chief |
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| Deputy Chief |
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| Captain |
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| Lieutenant |
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| Sergeant/Detective |
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| Field Training Officer |
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| Police Officer/Investigator |
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All new officers begin at the rank of police officer. There are civil service promotional opportunities all the way up to captain, then all remaining positions are appointed. The department is headed by a chief. The current interim Chief of the Oakland Police Department Sean Whent, who replaced interim chief Anthony Toribio after only two days,[7] following Howard Jordan's medical retirement.[8] Howard had served since 2011, succeeding Anthony Batts. Typically, each division is headed by a captain. A lieutenant will head a division if a captain is not present or non-existent. Lieutenant's duties consist of normal patrol and leadership of lower ranks and sometimes (as specified above) entire divisions. Sergeants, normally don't have any positions in leadership, considering the rank is mainly a promotional opportunity.
Number of police officers [edit]
On Friday, August 15, 2007, Oakland swore in 22 new graduates from the department's 161st Basic Police Academy, increasing the ranks of the department to 741 filled positions, the most since 1999. At least five veteran officers were expected to be granted disability retirements by the end of the month and up to 20 more were expected to leave by the end of the year. Forty-one potential Oakland officers were in Oakland Police Academy training academy that graduated in January 2008, and another academy was scheduled to start in October. Even with that graduation, there were still more than 60 vacancies in the department where the authorized strength increased by 63 to 802 officers after the passage of Measure Y in November 2004.[9]
On July 14, 2010, Oakland laid off 80 police officers reducing the total officers from 776 to 695. 24 of those sworn officers worked in a patrol capacity or responded to 911 calls. The rest of the officers performed other duties, including community policing activities.[10][11]
As of January 11, 2011, the City Council had authorized 637 police positions.[12]
As of February 2011, Oakland Police Department has 663 filled police positions, six less than the current authorized strength.[13]
As of July 2011, the number of sworn officers is 637.[14] The city is currently hiring officers, recently graduating an academy class and having plans to graduate more classes in the future. [15]
Controversies [edit]
In 2003, the city paid $10.9 million to 119 plaintiffs who reportedly had been victimized by members of Oakland Police. As a result of the Negotiated Settlement Agreement stemming from Allen v. City of Oakland (AKA the Riders Case), an Independent Monitoring Team was appointed by the Federal District court.[16] In January 2012, the Court found that OPD had still not complied with the terms of the settlement, and ordered OPD stripped of some of its independence, requiring on-going consultation with the Independent Monitor to exercise an array of powers.[17] Plaintiffs in the case have requested OPD be placed under the control of a federal receivership.[18]
In 2003, two undercover members of the Oakland Police Department were assigned to participate in the anti-Iraq War movement. They stood for and were elected to leadership roles before their true affiliations were uncovered.[19]
In 2008, Oakland agreed to pay $2 million to 16 women, all Asian, who alleged being groped, harassed, or victimized by a member of the Oakland Police Department.[20][21] After a criminal trial, former Officer Richard Valerga was sentenced to six months in jail.[22]
In 2010, Oakland agreed to pay $6.5 million to individuals alleging that the Oakland police for years illegally obtained search warrants based on false or misleading information.[23][24]
In 2011, Oakland Police came under further criticism for its handling of Occupy Oakland.[25] Occupier and United States Marine Corps and Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen was shot in the head with a beanbag round by an Oakland police SWAT team member.[26] Federal district judge Thelton Henderson threatened sanctioning the Oakland PD if it does not submit a plan to address the immense number, over a thousand, of complaints over the department's violent handling of Occupy Oakland.[27]
Oakland has paid a total of $57 million during the 2001-2011 timeframe to alleged victims of police abuse—the largest sum of any city in California.[28]
In 2012, the City of Oakland authorized an $800,000 settlement stemming from a case in which two citizens were unlawfully strip-searched on a public street by Oakland Police.[29]
Officers killed in the line of duty [edit]
As of 2009, the department has lost 51 officers in the line of duty, 32 officers died as a result of gunfire.[30] The 2009 shooting of Oakland police officers took place on Saturday, March 21, 2009, when four Oakland, California, police officers were killed by a felon wanted on a no-bail warrant for a parole violation. The felon, Lovelle Mixon, shot and killed four Oakland police officers, two during a routine traffic stop and two when SWAT team officers attempted to apprehend him two hours later. Mixon staged an ambush of the police from his hiding place and was killed in a barrage of gunfire as officers returned fire in self-defense.[31]
The 2009 killings made it one of the worst days for law enforcement in California's history. It was the single deadliest attack on California's police officers since the Newhall massacre in 1970, when four California Highway Patrol officers were shot and killed by two men in the Santa Clarita Valley. It was also the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.[32][33] This incident brings to 51 the total number of Oakland police officers killed in the line of duty since 1867.[34][35]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/26/oakland-police-department-black-community
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/14/arts/tupac-shakur-25-rap-performer-who-personified-violence-dies.html?pagewanted=2
- ^ Artz, Matthew. "Oakland Police Department avoids federal takeover, but agrees to unprecedented control over police". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/opd-recalls-hundreds-of-recently-issued-guns/nD3sw/
- ^ http://www.oaklandmofo.com/blog/oakland-police-helicopter-to-fly-again/
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/Oakland-police-firefighter-pay-devouring-budget-2389276.php
- ^ Matthew Artz (2013-05-10). "Interim Police Chief Toribio out just two days after appointment". Oakland Tribune.
- ^ Matthew Artz (2013-05-08). "Police Chief Howard Jordan announces medical retirement". Oakland Tribune.
- ^ http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_6657477?source=email
- ^ http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7552737
- ^ http://oaklandlocal.com/blogs/2010/07/ignacio-de-la-fuente-police-layoffs-budget-cuts-how-we-got-here
- ^ http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca/groups/police/documents/webcontent/oak024398.pdf
- ^ Harry Harris (February 21, 2011). "10 laid off Oakland police officers rehired". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ Johnson, Chip (September 8, 2011). "Oakland police reorganization a strategic plan". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ http://www.opdjobs.com/
- ^ Oakland City Attorney - Notable Cases
- ^ Wall Street Journal - Oakland Police Get a Federal Monitor JANUARY 26, 2012
- ^ Huffington Post - Oakland Police Department Only Weeks Away From Being Placed Into Federal Control January 27, 2012
- ^ Police spies chosen to lead war protest
- ^ Oakland to pay $2 million to officer's victims
- ^ JANE SMITH v. CITY OF OAKLAND C 06-07171 MJJ (2007)
- ^ Ex-officer sentenced to jail in gropings
- ^ City to Pay $6.5 Million to Settle Claims Police Lied in Seeking Warrants
- ^ Oakland settles warrant suits for $6.5 million
- ^ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. January 29, 2012.
- ^ http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/01/11482075-overwhelming-military-type-response-report-criticizes-oakland-police-handling-of-occupy-protests
- ^ http://www.care2.com/causes/judge-threatens-sanctions-against-oakland-police-for-military-type-response-to-occupy-protests.html
- ^ KTVU - Investigation reveals East Bay city paying out extraordinary police abuse settlements Nov 14, 2011
- ^ Henry K. Lee, SFChronicle Oakland to pay $832,000 in legal fees March 21, 2012
- ^ "Oakland Police Department, California, Fallen Officers". The Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ Doomed SWAT sergeants didn't expect the rifle, San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2009
- ^ Associated Press (April 4, 2009). "3 officers killed in Pittsburgh shooting". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved April 6, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Shooting ranks as one of deadliest in U.S. law enforcement in decades". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
- ^ "Honoring all fallen members of the Oakland Police Department". The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ "Oakland Police Department Memorial Wall". Oakland Police Department. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
External links [edit]
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