Activism

OPINION: What’s Really Driving the Oakland Police Department’s So-Called Staffing Crisis?

After decades of overspending on law enforcement, our nation’s police forces have now grown so large there’s simply no way they can keep themselves fully staffed. So, they’ve resorted to cannibalizing each other, poaching officers from neighboring departments. And Oakland residents are left to pay the price tag of training cadets who ultimately go on to work elsewhere, or out-of-towners whose records of conduct are difficult to unearth.

Published

3 years ago

March 30, 2022

Oakland Post

Cat Brooks

By Cat Brooks

Police forces around the country are complaining about staffing shortages. By and large, they’ve blamed the community and city leaders for not being sufficiently supportive — even though law enforcement receives the lion’s share of every city budget in the country.

We heard such disinformation recently when Oakland Police Officers Association President Barry Donelan blamed declining OPD staffing levels on “anti-police rhetoric” which is driving hard-working, dedicated Oakland police officers to leave in droves.”

While this is an obvious falsehood, it remains important to ask: why are so many cops leaving, who are they, and what is OPD spending its time on?

One major reason staffing is down is because so many cops have quit the force to escape discipline. “Heavy discipline” was among the top factors cited by departing officers in exit interviews, which OPD started conducting last fall.

What this means is that between OPD’s nonstop scandals — which range from sharing racist, sexist Instagram memes and pro-Trump insurrection posts, to teargassing kids, to overtime fraud, to murder — and Oakland’s community-led demands for accountability, the environment has become unfriendly to corrupt cops who could easily go do their dirt elsewhere without consequence. Good riddance.

Oakland’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers has also had an impact. On March 8, OPD Deputy Director Kiona Suttle revealed that 15 sworn officers will either be fired or forced to quit because of noncompliance with the mandate.

This seems to confirm the widely-held suspicion that vaccine refusal has contributed to the reduction in officer staffing in Oakland like it has everywhere else — a suspicion that grew when officer attrition spiked by 160% in October, the month the vaccine mandate took effect.

The top reason for leaving listed in exit interviews is “dissatisfaction with OPD leadership.” This shows that, despite Libby Schaaf’s gaslighting of Oaklanders with tall tales of OPD reform and the police association’s false narrative spin, OPD remains as dysfunctional as ever. Yet the City of Oakland fills their unaudited budget of almost $350 million every year.

Let’s be clear — while OPD is a terrible place to work, it is not unique in falling below its budgeted number of officers. A similar trend is happening all over the country. A national survey of nearly 200 law enforcement agencies last summer found that retirements went up by 45% and resignations went up by almost 20% in 2020-21.

Oakland will never be able to fill so many empty positions. Period. There’s just not enough people interested in working for OPD. The only solution is to scale back our police force. We’ve got to make do with fewer officers.

We can do this by ending the practice of making police be the ineffective first responders to every single social ill. They are not counselors, therapists, mental health workers, or animal welfare specialists. Sending them to do these jobs has proven not only costly but also deadly to Black and brown communities.

It won’t be a difficult shift. Right now, OPD only spends a fraction of its time on violent crime. The Anti Police-Terror Project published a report last year which found that OPD wastes significant amounts of time and money responding to nonviolent and non-criminal issues instead of focusing on violent crime.

The Department could free up the equivalent of over 60 full-time officers and save millions if it was no longer responsible for matters that don’t require an armed officer — like towing abandoned cars and catching stray dogs — as well as situations like mental health crises or interacting with unhoused neighbors.

The truth is we have too many cops, not too few. But OPD doesn’t want you to know this. That’s why they’re dragging their feet on releasing updated data about how they spend their time, which City Council demanded and is already past due.

We know what keeps us safe, and it’s not more police. It’s meeting the needs of our most vulnerable community members. That means housing, schools, jobs, mental health care, and violence prevention.

The way out of this manufactured staffing crisis is to tell OPD to do less with less — and to invest in what really keeps us safe instead.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

OCCUR to Host Series on Money Management in Honor of Financial Literacy Month in April

Don't Miss

Chase Bank Manager’s Advice for Avoiding Scams and Fraud

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill

“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.

The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”

Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

The Case Against Probate: False Ruling Invalidates Black Professor’s Estate Plan, Ignoring 28-Year Relationship

Zakiya Folami Jendayi, beneficiary of Head’s estate, states that “The errors, ranging from misstatements of fact, omissions of critical evidence, and reliance on false arguments and testimony, formed the basis of Judge Sandra K. Bean’s ruling against me, Dr. Head’s previous student, mentee, sorority sister and long-time friend,and despite the fact that I was her chosen, power of attorney, Advanced Healthcare Directive agent, trustee, executor and sole beneficiary.”

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Dr. Head and Zakiya Jendayi, Their 28 year old friendship was ignored by Probate Court Judge Bean who ruled in favor of Dr. Head's estranged sister's. One sister could not identify Head, in a picture shown while under oath.

By Tanya Dennis

Part 5

In a shocking miscarriage of justice, a California probate judge issued a Statement of Decision on March 28 riddled with numerous documented errors that invalidated the estate plan of esteemed Black Studies professor Dr. Laura Dean Head.

The ruling from the Alameda County Superior Court’s probate division in Berkeley has sparked outrage from advocates for probate reform, community members and civil rights activists, who say the decision reflects deep flaws in the probate system, blatant disregard for due process, and the wishes of the ancestors. Judge Sandra Bean’s ruling reflects a repeated outcome seen in Black and Brown communities.

Reading court transcripts, the most egregious violations according to Jendayi reveal a pivotal point in the ruling that rested on a letter from Dr. Stephan Sarafian of Kaiser Permanente, who misidentified Dr. Head as male, misstated the day, month, and year, and asserted Head lacked capacity.

Under cross-examination, he reversed his opinion and admitted under oath that he never conducted a mental evaluation, did not diagnose Dr. Head with incapacity, did not write the letter, and stated he merely signed it “in case it was needed in the future.”

Despite Sarafian’s perjury, on Oct. 17, 2024, the California Court of Appeal upheld the lower court decision that relied on Sarafian’s discredited letter to invalidate Dr. Head’s estate plan, ignored Jendayi’s requests to impeach his testimony and dismiss Sarafian’s testimony and letter that both the Kaiser Grievance Department and the Medical Board of California denounced.

In her ruling, Judge Bean agreed with the false argument by attorney Leahy, which alleged that Jendayi provided the names of the beneficiaries to Head’s estate attorney, Elaine Lee. Bean made this decision despite Lee’s sworn testimony that Dr. Head had met with her alone, behind closed doors, and made the independent decision to leave her estate to Jendayi.

According to court records, Judge Bean reversed the burden of proof in the undue influence claim before any of Jendayi’s witnesses testified, forcing Jendayi to disprove allegations that were never substantiated by witnesses or records.

Bean ruled: “Respondent took Dr. Head to her apartment where she assumed complete control of Dr. Head’s day-to-day care, medical care, and all aspects of her life.” Jendayi proved that statement was false.

Bean also ruled that Respondent controlled Dr. Head’s necessities of life, food, and hospice care, despite zero testimony or documentation supporting any of those claims.

The court reduced Jendayi’s role to “a friend who, at best, cared for Dr. Head during the final two months,” totally ignoring 28 years of friendship, testimony, evidence, letters of recommendation, emails, and medical records.

Exhibits confirming Dr. Head’s intent and capacity, including the discredited medical letter, Exhibit 90, were omitted or misrepresented in the judge’s final decision.

Jendayi says, “The injustice within the probate justice system is devastating, traumatizing and financially depleting. It’s nothing short of legalized crime!”

Jendayi is now appealing to the Supreme Court of the U.S. with a petition citing denial of due process, judicial misconduct, and systemic bias in probate courts.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion

Over 500 people attended the Tuesday evening rally in Oakland, which was held simultaneously with a prayer vigil in Los Angeles, where rabbis, pastors, Muslim faith leaders, and indigenous spiritual leaders gathered to pray and speak out about the federal government’s abuses of power.

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Hundreds gathered at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland on June 10 in solidarity with immigrants and opposed to Trump’s use of armed federal agents in Los Angeles. Photo by Beth LaBerge/KQED.

By Post Staff

n response to last week’s “invasion” of Los Angeles by armed and masked federal agents, East Bay faith leaders and community members, joined by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, held an Interfaith vigil Tuesday evening at Oakland’s Fruitvale Plaza in support of Los Angeles residents and immigrant communities across the country.

Earlier on the same day, hundreds of protesters at San Francisco and Concord immigration courts shut down the courts after masked, plainclothes federal ICE agents detained people seeking asylum attending their court hearings.

“Too many families in Los Angeles torn apart by this invasion still do not have access to a lawyer — and that’s not an accident. We, the people, the community, are here to say, ‘Enough!’ We must keep organizing and demand that ICE and our government respect the rights of all people and uphold the principle of due process,” said Andrés Pomart with Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.

“We know that when we organize, we win. That’s why our communities – Black, Brown, and working-class – are coming together to support each other in solidarity. Together, as immigrant communities and as a united working class, we will not be divided nor intimidated nor live in fear,” Pomart said.

“Immigrant communities — yes, our immigrant communities — are the heartbeat of Oakland, enriching our neighborhoods with diverse cultures, languages and experience, and deserve the quality of life that every human being deserves. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. “Your city remains committed to protecting our immigrant neighbors,” said Mayor Lee.

“When Trump’s armed goons come for our families and communities, when they trample on our shared values of freedom and opportunity, when they make a mockery of our rights to due process, we are called to step up for our neighbors,” said Supervisor Bas. “This is not just an immigration story. It’s a story about who we are — and how we respond when our neighbors are under attack and when the president of the United States abuses his powers. When they come for one of us, they come for all of us.”

Said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, the Oakland teachers’ union president, “It is time for us to say, ‘Not in our city.’ We will stop, we will block, we will drive out ICE. We will protect our classrooms. We will protect our streets. We will protect our homes. Together, we rise for the dignity of our families and our right to live without fear.”

“I feel that the president and the current administration is grossly overstepping and abusing their power,” Rabbi Chai Levy, speaking to KQED. “I feel that, as a religious person, communities of faith need to show up and stand in solidarity with immigrants who are threatened and afraid. “It’s important to show up as people of conscience and morality and say that we’re against what our government is doing.”

The vigil was hosted by Bay Resistance, and co-sponsoring organizations included the Alameda Labor Council, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Faith in Action East Bay, Restore Oakland, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland Rising, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, SEIU Local 1021, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), SEIU United Service Workers West, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, Jobs with Justice San Francisco, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Urban Peace Movement, and Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.