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Councilmembers Seek More Local Residents, People of Color as Police Officers

Published

8 years ago

September 17, 2016

The City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday voted to continue discussing proposals to reform Oakland Police Department (OPD) hiring and recruitment practices to enable more local residents to become OPD officers.

The committee also directed the administration to provide answers to questions submitted about recruiting, outreach and budgeting that were not previously answered and to come back with a more thorough report.

The vote to move the discussion to Oct. 25 comes nearly two months after the com- mittee approved a proposal by Councilmember-At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, who is advocating for changes in the Police Department.

“Our Police Department contains very few people who live in, or have connections with, the communities of Oakland. In addition, we have underrepresentation of women, LGBT people, and people of color,” Kaplan wrote in a previous letter to the Public Safety Committee.

“These issues have perpetuated a sense of disconnect between our community and Police Department,” she wrote.

The original proposal called on OPD to investigate strategies that would mitigate underrepresentation of women, LGBT people and people of color in the department, increase local hires, and prohibit past marijuana use as grounds for rejection, among other recommendations.

At the July 12 meeting, Councilmember Desley Brooks requested that Kaplan and the Ad-Hoc Working Group on OPD Recruitment return to the Public Safety Committee with more information and examples of implementation.

That happened this Tuesday, when the Ad Hoc Committee returned to the Public Safety Committee this week with a report titled “The Police Recruitment and Hiring Policy Informational Report.”

Kaplan also presented to the committee her own report with hiring practice recommendations, as well as a list of items that OPD had yet to provide information on.

However, Kaplan’s report lacked the type of concrete programs that the committee had requested – which Kaplan said she was unable to provide because OPD had not yet provided information she requested.

As a result, the committee voted to postpone a decision, asking OPD to provide the answers to Kaplan’s questions.

“The fact that the committee supported my request to make (OPD) give us that information is going to make it a lot easier for me to bring back a proposal with specifics of what they need to be doing differently because we’ll have the record of how much they are spending,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan criticized the Police Department for not making a strong enough effort to recruit a police force that’s more representative of the community.

She said OPD should be involved at community events like last week’s Oakland Pride festival to meet and recruit more LGBT people.

“You say you just can’t find women, have you gone to Mills College? These things are achievable, you just have to try,” she said.

Kaplan’s proposals include changing existing policies so that OPD does not eliminate candidates if they are found with past marijuana usage.

A recent police staffing report found that only 9 percent of sworn members of the department were Oakland residents.

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Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Supreme Court Decision Confirms Convicted Felon Will Assume Presidency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s emergency request to block criminal proceedings in his New York hush money case, ensuring that a sentencing hearing will proceed as scheduled on Friday. The decision makes it official that, on January 20, for the first time in its history, the United States will inaugurate a convicted felon as its president.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that Trump’s concerns could “be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal” and emphasized that the burden of sentencing was “relatively insubstantial” given that Trump will not face prison time. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, with four conservative justices dissenting.

Trump was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in a state criminal case, particularly before all appeals in state courts were exhausted.

Trump’s legal team claimed the sentencing process would interfere with his transition to power and argued that evidence introduced during the trial included official actions protected under the Supreme Court’s prior ruling granting former presidents immunity for official conduct. Merchan, the New York judge who presided over the trial, ruled in December that the evidence presented was unrelated to Trump’s duties as president.

Prosecutors dismissed Trump’s objections, stating that the sentencing would take less than an hour and could be attended virtually. They said the public interest in proceeding to sentencing outweighed the President-elect’s claims of undue burden.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the four dissenting justices, confirmed speaking to Trump by phone on Wednesday. Alito insisted the conversation did not involve the case, though the call drew criticism given his previous refusals to recuse himself from politically sensitive matters.

The sentencing hearing is set for Friday at 9:30 a.m. in Manhattan. As the nation moves closer to an unprecedented inauguration, questions about the implications of a convicted felon assuming the presidency remain.

“No one is above the law,” Bragg said.

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Barbara Lee Launches Campaign for Mayor of Oakland

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united,” she Lee. “If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2025

Oakland Post

By Post Staff

Barbara Lee on Wednesday morning formally announced her candidacy for Mayor in Oakland’s April 15 special election.

“Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges,” said Lee.

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided but a community united,” she said. “If elected, I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas, and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

“As Mayor, I’ll address our homelessness crisis, prioritize comprehensive public safety and mental health services, and lead with fiscal responsibility to deliver the core City services residents and business owners deserve. Let’s do this – together.”

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Lee. “I’m always ready to fight for Oakland.”

Watch her campaign video here, which is online at BarbaraLee4Oakland.com