Oakland police

Reforming the Oakland Police Department

Joaquin Palomino — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 23:31:16 +0000

Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, two things shaped the Oakland Police Department. The city had one of the highest crime rates in California, and four police officers calling themselves the “Riders” beat, robbed, and framed hundreds of residents in the flatlands of Oakland. For years the officers were praised for sweeping drugs from the rough streets of West Oakland. But in 2000 over 100 plaintiffs came forward and accused the “Riders” of kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, and battery.

Why the OPD is approaching a federal takeover

Joaquin Palomino — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:04:55 +0000

Last Month, the Oakland city council voted to pay $40,000 in punitive damages for an officer who illegally strip searched two suspects in public. Federal Judge Thelton Henderson, who currently oversees the department as they make court-ordered reforms, referred to the strip-searching case as an example of how stuck the OPD is in their dysfunctional behavior.

Connecting the Dots: Top news stories for Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Katie Styer — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:23:35 +0000

Mayor Ed Lee will seek to remove Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from office, citing political misconduct in response to the incident that led to Mirkarimi's guilty plea of false imprisonment...