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Early on a Tuesday morning in September, eight men and women lined up against a bright blue and yellow wall in a back room of the Oakland Police Department’s downtown headquarters.
Wearing gray T-shirts with their last names printed on the back, they shouted, “Yes, ma’am” or “Yes, sir,” in soldier-like unison when high-ranking officers nearby gave orders or asked questions.
The recruits were part of OPD’s 195th police academy — the first in more than a year after a major budget shortfall forced the city to pause basic training…