The city budget currently allows for 687 officers. Interim Police Chief James Beere said he’s hopeful he can reach that staffing level and higher.
He said up to a dozen officers are planning to rejoin the force, and another Police Academy class will graduate in May.
Ultimately, the chief said he hopes to get staffing up to 877, as recommended by an independent firm in April to drive down crime.
“We have a lot of work ahead, but I can tell you this is the best traction I’ve seen in a long time to get our numbers back up where they should be,” Beere said.
Lee said she hopes cadets will go on to not only serve the communities they come from, but spend their careers at OPD. She was joined by four officers who grew up in Oakland and came through the cadet program.
Two of those officers, Isaac and Isaiah Harris, are identical twin brothers who learned about the cadet program from their resource officer at Skyline High School.
Twin brothers and Oakland police officers Isaac and Isaiah Harris stand alongside Mayor Barbara Lee and Interim Police Chief James Beere at a news conference on Jan. 21, 2026 to announce a nearly $1 million fund to restore OPD’s cadet program. (Daisy Nguyen/KQED)
“That was honestly the best and easiest transition from the civilian world into our profession,” Isaac Harris said. “The cadet program set us up perfectly. It helped us sharpen our multi-tasking skills, helped us become a leader … honestly, it was the perfect segue into the academy.”
Lee said the funding will support nine cadet positions over two years. She said she’ll continue to work on public-private partnerships to sustain the program, which she said is “definitely a priority.”