This story was produced in partnership with the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley Journalism.
One week after The Oaklandside published an article examining an Oakland police officer’s $490,000 in overtime pay and OPD’s lack of records tracking the officer’s activities, the police department responded by opening an investigation.
“The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is aware of the allegations made in your article,” a department spokesperson said in a statement to The Oaklandside. “The matter is under investigation.”
The Oaklandside’s report found that Lieutenant Timothy Dolan, a 23-year veteran officer who leads the traffic unit, earned a paycheck of roughly $711,000 in 2024. Dolan was OPD’s highest-paid officer in 2024 and the city’s highest-paid employee. The majority of his compensation was from overtime. Dolan reported working more than two and a half times the number of hours in a normal full-time job, raising concerns about officer safety and wellness.
The department was unable to produce documentation for almost half of Dolan’s overtime hours, raising more questions about OPD’s management of overtime.
The police department said it would not provide further details about who or what their newly opened investigation is focused on. It could be a review of overtime policies and procedures by the department’s leadership, or it could be an internal affairs case to examine whether Dolan’s use of overtime was within department policy.
Meanwhile, Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement she is concerned about the findings of The Oaklandside’s investigation and is monitoring the situation.
“These allegations in the reporting are concerning,” said Mayor Lee in a statement. “I’m aware that OPD is investigating this matter, and I will be in close contact with the department to review the findings.”
Shortly after the publication of our investigation, Lt. Dolan’s photo and name were removed from the Oakland Police Officer Association’s website. Dolan served as vice president in the police union. That elected position is now filled by Lt. Omar Daza-Quiroz.
Police union spokesperson Sam Singer said Dolan decided not to run for reelection in January because he “wanted to give another officer the opportunity to serve and gain experience as a union leader.”
An “outstanding officer who exemplifies dedication”
In response to our reporting, OPOA president Huy Nguyen defended Dolan, saying we unfairly singled him out.
Calling him an “outstanding officer who exemplifies dedication, professionalism, and service to this city and its residents,” Nguyen said Dolan works mandatory sideshow operations, wrote the city’s sideshow policing policy, trains newly hired officers, and is a subject matter expert on traffic and sideshow enforcement.
“His name is likely on more traffic fatality reports than almost anyone in this city — not because he sits behind a desk, but because he shows up, again and again, when lives are lost and accountability is required. The Oaklandside story barely scratches the surface of the work he does to protect this city, its residents, and businesses.”
The data we obtained about Dolan’s overtime showed that he spent approximately 200 hours working on fatal traffic collisions. He spent another roughly 800 hours reviewing collision reports for style inconsistencies and vehicle code corrections. But a big chunk of his overtime lacked documentation, making it impossible to determine how he spent that time.
Department spokespeople did not respond to questions about whether Dolan was ordered to spend overtime reviewing collision reports or whether this was of his own initiative.
The Oakland police officers’ union strongly defended its members’ use of overtime
Our investigation of overtime revealed that Dolan worked lengthy consecutive shifts, hours that raised concerns about safety and well-being.
Following publication, we asked Nguyen and Singer if they have concerns about how OPD manages overtime, or about the wellness of officers working extreme overtime hours.
In response, Nguyen, a sergeant who, like Dolan, has worked extensive overtime in recent years, said he believes our reporting was based on a civilian city union report, which he called “biased.”
Our investigation, however, was primarily based on police documents and data we obtained through public records requests. We analyzed these records and provided our findings to Dolan and OPD, and offered them multiple opportunities to speak with us before publication. After providing us with initial statements, Dolan and the department stopped responding.
In comments to us last week, Nguyen said OPD’s inability to stay within its approved yearly overtime budget — which contributes to the city’s structural deficit — is because of the department’s severe staffing shortage.
“Mandatory overtime in Oakland is not a choice made by police officers — it is a consequence of years of poor decision-making by the Mayor and City Council that have left the Oakland Police Department dangerously understaffed,” said Nguyen. “Most Oakland police officers would gladly give up overtime if it meant spending more time with their families and getting proper rest. But that option simply does not exist today.”
OPD is understaffed. Only 618 of 678 authorized police officer positions are currently filled, and because of officers who are on some type of leave, the department only has an operational strength of 495, according to the most recent tally. Many believe OPD needs at least 877 officers to provide the level of services to the city that elected officials and residents expect.
The union report that Nguyen characterized as biased was issued last year by several labor groups that represent civilian city employees. IFPTE Local 21, SEIU Local 21, and IBEW 1245’s “Smarter Public Safety” report identified OPD’s overspending on overtime as a “primary driver” of the city’s budget deficits. The unions found that “overspending has occurred regardless of budgeted or actual officer staffing levels.”
The report also showed that over the past several years, backfill — a type of overtime typically used to fill vacancies caused by understaffing — has dropped by over 40%. Shift extensions, meanwhile — which are officer-initiated and, according to OPD’s overtime policy, usually do not require prior approval from supervisors — have increased.
Calling them “rival” unions, Nguyen said they “trumped up a misleading report in May 2025 to score political points against police officers who are stretched to the breaking point.”
“These three unions, led by IFPTE Local 21, are city hall unions and do nothing to protect the public as Oakland Police Officers do every day and every night,” he said.
The Oaklandside cited one finding from the unions’ report showing that increased staffing at OPD historically hasn’t necessarily reduced the department’s overtime. The core of our investigation into Dolan’s overtime hours, however, was based on hundreds of pages of records and data the police department provided us.
“Oaklandside’s and the city hall ‘worker’ unions’ approach may generate clicks, but it does not inform the public or reflect the conditions that OPD officers face every day,” Nguyen said.
When asked if the unions’ overtime report contained any factual errors, Singer said the report is a “self-serving interpretation of data,” and he accused the city’s civilian employee unions of trying to “gain money for themselves at the expense of Oakland residents, small businesses, and visitors.”
In response to Nguyen and Singer’s comments, IFPTE Local 21 vice president Julian Ware said, “Our union is dedicated to one thing above all else, and that’s serving the residents of Oakland. That’s why we are always looking for ways, across city departments, to put Oaklanders’ tax dollars to the best use possible. We think the reforms we advocate for ultimately benefit everyone.”
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