For the past four years, the agency has been under a \u201csustainability period,\u201d meaning that it seeks to achieve total compliance with all assigned tasks under the negotiated settlement. The monitor reports on the police department\u2019s progress to the court on a quarterly basis.<\/p>\n
In his thirteenth report<\/a>, federal monitor Robert Warshaw said that the department had achieved compliance with all 51 tasks of the negotiated settlement agreement that the department committed to in 2003.<\/p>\n Warshaw specifically highlighted three tasks that the department had been challenged to meet in May 2022 that addressed the timeliness of internal investigations, citizen complaints procedures against the department and the consistency of officer discipline.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile there is still work to be done, the mayor\u2019s leadership and the department\u2019s commitment to addressing these three tasks have culminated in success,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At Wednesday\u2019s hearing, Orrick said Warshaw would continue to monitor the city\u2019s compliance with the tasks until September before transitioning department oversight to the citizen-led Oakland Police Commission.<\/p>\n \u201cI am hopeful by September 29, we will be able to say things are moving in the right direction, but it\u2019s never going to be mission accomplished; it\u2019s something that has to be done every day,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know this is an issue every day you have to commit yourself to and make happen. I am hopeful.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case held back from fully celebrating the milestone until more data was released, but recognized the importance of the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we tried to do here is to pave the way for the next generation of people. I hope when this is done, whenever it is, that we have done exactly that,\u201d plaintiffs\u2019 attorney John L. Burris said.<\/p>\n James B. Chanin, another attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge he still had reservations about the disparities between the rate of charges sustained against white officers versus Black officers following internally generated complaints. However, he added that he believed the leadership of the Oakland Police Department would address the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that I trust the command staff to do something about this sounds like I am close to finishing my job here,\u201d he said. \u201cI spent the last 23 years trying to be fair to everyone and trying to make OPD better for officers and the citizens they serve \u2026 I hope my efforts have been a small part of that process.\u201d<\/p>\n Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee also spoke, telling the judge she intends to complete and exit federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department while she\u2019s in office.<\/p>\n \u201cConstitutional policing is no longer a aspiration, it is a standard. Compliance is a milestone, not a finish line,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cCommitting to proving this progress is the permanent foundation of how we will protect and serve now and in the future. I heard your requirements loud and clear, and intend to ensure we comply.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for the parties did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The case against the Oakland police department began in December 2000 when 119 plaintiffs accused four veteran police officers, called the \u201cRiders,\u201d of false arrest, excessive use of force, falsifying police reports and assault and battery. The department agreed in 2003 to take on vigorous reforms, but was mired in scandals that hampered its compliance.<\/p>\n In June 2022, Orrick signaled<\/a> that an end to the monitor could be in sight and gave the department one year to demonstrate full compliance with the negotiated settlement requirements.<\/p>\n However, he opted<\/a> to keep the federal monitor in January 2023, following a scathing report<\/a> detailing how internal investigators mishandled a sergeant who failed to report crashing his police vehicle and who fired his gun inside a city building.<\/p>\n The report led then-Mayor Sheng Thao to fire<\/a> former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, who became the eleventh department head dismissed within the last decade. Armstrong was also investigated for his handling of perjury and bribery claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n Armstrong later launched a failed<\/a> attempt to sue the city of Oakland over claims the city and Thao violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and retaliated against him for protected\u00a0 \u201cwhistleblowing activities.\u201d<\/p>\n In April 2023, Orrick narrowed<\/a> the monitor\u2019s scope but said that the department needed to demonstrate full compliance with all tasks that the monitor assigned. By December 2023, the monitor said<\/a> the department was making more progress on the agreement\u2019s tasks.<\/p>\n However, in August 2024, Warshaw found<\/a> that the police department was still out of compliance with one of the settlement agreement\u2019s assigned tasks that pertained to the handling of internal investigations, including personnel complaints.<\/p>\n