The Oakland Police Department appears near the finish line in its 23-year federal court oversight program — but there’s still work left to do. That was U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick’s message to the city at a hearing Tuesday afternoon.
During the hearing at San Francisco’s federal courthouse, Mayor Barbara Lee, OPD command staff, city attorneys, and civilian police oversight leaders presented an optimistic, unified message that they’re committed to completing the remaining reforms in the Negotiated Settlement Agreement and changing the culture of the police department.
“To institutionalize constitutional policing so that it lasts long after federal court involvement makes me very optimistic about the future, but we’re not there yet,” Orrick said…