Crime
OP-ED: Cities That Ignore the Need for Police Reform Will Pay Dearly
Bay area city governments cannot afford to ignore Oakland’s struggles with police reform. The Oakland Police Department is under the control of federal judge Thelton Henderson and his appointed monitor. Oakland refers to him as the “compliance director” rather than the “court-appointed receiver”. This arrangement, which features a stripped-down police chief, handcuffs Oakland’s ability to deliver effective Police services.
Oakland’s Police Department (OPD) is dysfunctional because of its own inaction and lack of accountability. In 2000, attorneys sued the city and individual police officers in the notorious “Riders” case, a group of Oakland police officers who terrorized West Oakland, under the guise of fighting crime. Oakland settled with the 119 plaintiffs for $11 million and agreed to implement 51 police reforms.
Regrettably, after 7 years of ignoring the reforms, the city paid $1 million a year to the court-appointed monitor who faithfully reported how the city failed to implement the reforms.
In 2010, the court appointed a receiver to run the department, taking control away from the city.
After spending more than $15 million to fight reforms, Oakland still won’t address a process to identify problem officers, internal investigations and eliminate racial profiling. The city would rather pay millions for police misconduct while no one is held accountable.
The lesson is: Implement basic control of the Police Department accountability and other simple reforms and funds are available to make citizens safer.
Talk about the inmates policing themselves. Oakland’s city auditor claims to investigate city mismanagement and the lack of performance, yet there has been no audit of the millions spent by OPD for a failed computer tracking system.
The OPD’s $200 million budget, nearly half of the city’s general budget, is a major drain because 92% of the police officers live outside the city.
Six reforms that can make a difference:
1) The city auditor should divert her resources from petty investigations and do a performance and budget audit of the Police Department and identify basic cost savings reforms that will put more officers on the street.
2) Oakland should hire civilians, instead of patrol officers, to investigate nonviolent crimes such as auto thefts and burglaries. 3) Establish civilian review of the Police Department, implement the internal investigation reforms, and eliminate the obscene current condition of more internal investigators than homicide investigators. 4) implement the remainder reforms so that the department is freed from federal jurisdiction and cost.
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5) Implement technology that will improve police services. Keep the shot tracker program in place. Yes, put cameras throughout the city of Oakland. This technology exposed the Rodney King beating, the Boston marathon bombers, freed a New Jersey driver, and the out-of-control Albuquerque Police Department. 6) The city should require every police car and officer to have cameras that records every citizen interaction.
Every city has to show the courage to implement reforms that run an efficient department and accountability of its officers. Money without reforms will not reduce crime.
Clinton Killian is an attorney at Oakland downtown Oakland law firm Fried & Williams LLP and former public official. He can be reached at ckillian@postnewsgroup.com.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
California Black Media
Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
By California Black Media
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.
Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.
“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.
Ramos said the need to act is urgent.
“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.
Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.
According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.
In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.
“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.
“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.
AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
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