SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – A federal judge on Wednesday indicated that decades-long federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department could end, after a report found the agency was in full compliance with court-ordered reforms.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick III said he will end federal oversight and close the case on Sept. 29, assuming the city remains in compliance with the negotiated terms of the settlement it reached in 2003.
“The goal of the (negotiated settlement agreement) set in 2003 was to lead the Oakland Police Department down the path of constitutional policing. This is not something that OPD can achieve in a moment in time; this is a goal that will and must exist as long as Oakland has a police force,” said appointee Barack Obama.
The Oakland Police Department has been supervised by a federal monitor for more than two decades after a string of scandals involving multiple police officers, including allegations of police brutality and sexual assault.
For the past four years, the agency has been under a “sustainable period,” meaning it seeks to achieve total compliance with all tasks set forth under the negotiated agreement. The monitor reports to the court on the progress of the police department on a quarterly basis.
In his the thirteenth reportfederal monitor Robert Warshaw said the department had achieved compliance with all 51 tasks of the negotiated settlement agreement the department entered into in 2003.
Warshaw specifically highlighted three tasks the department was challenged to accomplish by May 2022, which addressed internal investigation timelines, citizen complaint procedures against the department and consistency of officer discipline.
“While there is still work to be done, the mayor’s leadership and the department’s commitment to address these three tasks have culminated in success,” he said.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Orrick said Warshaw will continue to monitor the city’s compliance with the duties through September before turning over oversight of the department to the citizen-driven Oakland Police Commission.
“I hope that by September 29 we will be able to say that things are moving in the right direction, but the mission will never be accomplished; it is something that needs to be done every day,” he said. “We know this is an issue every day that you have to commit to and get it done. I’m hopeful.”
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case were held back from fully celebrating the milestone until more data was released, but they understood the significance of the moment.
“What we tried to do here is pave the way for the next generation of people. I hope that when that happens, whenever that happens, we’ve done just that,” said plaintiffs’ attorney John L. Burris.
James B. Chanin, another attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge that he still had reservations about the disparities between the rate of charges brought against white officers versus black officers after internal complaints. However, he added that he believed the leadership of the Oakland Police Department would address the issue.
“The fact that I trust the command staff to do something about it sounds like I’m close to doing my job here,” he said. “I’ve spent the last 23 years trying to be fair to everyone and trying to make OPD better for the officers and the citizens they serve … I hope my efforts have been a small part of that process.”
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee also spoke, telling the judge she intends to end and step away from federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department while she is in office.
“Constitutional policing is no longer an aspiration, it’s a standard. Compliance is a milestone, not a finish line,” Lee said.
She added: “The commitment to prove this progress is the permanent basis of how we will protect and serve now and in the future. I heard your demands loud and clear and I intend to ensure we comply.”
Representatives for the parties did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case against the Oakland police department began in December 2000 when 119 plaintiffs accused four veteran police officers, dubbed the “Riders,” of false arrest, excessive use of force, falsifying police reports and assault and battery. The department agreed in 2003 to undertake sweeping reforms, but was mired in scandals that hampered its implementation.
In June 2022, Orrick Signaling that the end of the monitor could be seen and gave the department one year to demonstrate full compliance with the negotiated settlement requirements.
However, he ELECTED to retain the federal monitor in January 2023, after a rough report detailing how internal investigators mishandled a sergeant who failed to report crashing his police vehicle and firing a gun inside a city building.
The report prompted then-Mayor Sheng Thao fire former police chief LeRonne Armstrong, who became the department’s eleventh chief fired within the past decade. Armstrong was also investigated for his treatment allegations of perjury and bribery.
Armstrong later launched one failed attempt to sue the city of Oakland over claims that the city and Thao violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and retaliated against him for “protected whistleblower activities.”
In April 2023, Orrick narrow the monitor’s scope, but said the department must demonstrate full compliance with all duties the monitor has assigned. Until December 2023, the monitor said the department was making more progress on the deal tasks.
However, in August 2024, Varshaw found that the police department was still out of compliance with one of the duties set forth in the settlement agreement regarding the handling of internal investigations, including personnel complaints.
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