|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Day of reckoning near for Oakland Police Department
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | Craverguy |
| Last Edited | Craverguy Dec 11, 2012 03:20pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | News |
| Author | Matthew Artz |
| News Date | Tuesday, December 11, 2012 11:25:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | When Oakland agreed to reform the city's police department and accept federal monitoring following the Riders police brutality scandal, it joined a list of cities long enough to start a sports league.
But after a decade of delay and resistance, Oakland stands alone as the first city to fail in its reform effort and the first to agree to go from federal monitoring of its police department to federal control.
If, as expected, this week, U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson signs off on an agreement between the city and two civil rights attorneys who represented victims in the Riders lawsuit, Oakland police will get a new supreme commander -- someone who must consult with Mayor Jean Quan and Chief Howard Jordan but who is accountable only to Henderson.
"It's unfortunate that it's come to this, but I think this is the necessary result," said Sam Walker, a criminologist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, who has followed the saga. "There's a real serious problem there. If you have a new, independent voice, maybe this will get it done."
The federal compliance director will have power to spend city money, alter police tactics, and, if the department continues to lag on reforms, fire Jordan and demote his deputies.
Whoever gets the job will carry the hopes of a city that previously lost control of its school district and has little confidence in elected officials to effectively govern key institutions. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
