The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is a civilian law enforcement agency responsible for policing the city of Oakland, California. Since a 2003 incident involving alleged police misconduct, the Oakland Police Department has been under federal oversight. Ever since, the department has struggled with a potential federal takeover.
The uniform of the OPD consists of a dark navy-blue shirt. On the left side of the chest, the badge is pinned. The type of badge differs upon rank. Higher ranks tend to have nicer more detailed badges compared to lower ranking officers. Officers are also issued a standard police hat. Navy blue pants are worn with a blue stripe going down them. They also have belts holding their equipment. For crowd control, OPD officers normally have helmets and more protective gear. Most SWAT uniforms are standard.
Patrol vehicles of the Oakland Police Department
Weapons
Oakland officers are allowed to carry .40 caliber firearms. They are given a list of certain firearms that they may or may not carry during the academy. The department also issues Glock 19 chambered in 9mm. The X26 taser is often carried with most officers. Officers also carry pepper spray and batons as do most other officers. Cruisers may be armed with Remington 870 shotguns. SWAT Teams often have Colt AR-15 style weapons and H&K UMP.
Police cruisers normally consist of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. Most vehicles are standard. The helicopter for the Oakland Police is named ARGUS after a character in Greek mythology.
On Friday, August 15, 2007, Oakland swore in 22 new graduates from the department's 161st Basic Police Academy, increasing the ranks of the department to 741 filled positions, the most since 1999. At least five veteran officers were expected to be granted disability retirements by the end of the month and up to 20 more were expected to leave by the end of the year. Forty-one potential Oakland officers were in Oakland Police Academy training academy that graduated in January 2008, and another academy was scheduled to start in October. Even with that graduation, there were still more than 60 vacancies in the department where the authorized strength increased by 63 to 802 officers after the passage of Measure Y in November 2004.
Main articles: Allen v. City of Oakland and Occupy Oakland
Oakland Police officers dressed in riot gear in response to protests against the BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant.
In 1991, the Oakland Police Department paid a $42,000 settlement to rapper Tupac Shakur after allegedly brutally beating him for jaywalking.
In 2003, the city paid $10.9 million to 119 plaintiffs who reportedly had been victimized by members of Oakland Police. However, after the officers were fired from the OPD, a jury that had no black members on it ended up clearing the four Rough Riders on eight of the counts against them, and were unable to reach a decision on 27 others. As a result of the Negotiated Settlement Agreement stemming from Allen v. City of Oakland (AKA the Riders Case), an Independent Monitoring Team was appointed by the Federal District court. In January 2012, the Court found that OPD had still not complied with the terms of the settlement, and ordered OPD stripped of some of its independence, requiring on-going consultation with the Independent Monitor to exercise an array of powers. Plaintiffs in the case have requested OPD be placed under the control of a federal receivership.
As of 2009, the department has lost 51 officers in the line of duty, 32 of which died as a result of gunfire.[60] The 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers took place on Saturday, March 21, 2009, when four Oakland, California, police officers were killed by a felon wanted on a no-bail warrant for a parole violation. The felon, Lovelle Mixon, shot and killed four Oakland police officers, two during a routine traffic stop and two when SWAT team officers attempted to apprehend him two hours later. Mixon staged an ambush of the police from his hiding place and was killed in a barrage of gunfire as officers returned fire in self-defense.
The 2009 killings made it one of the worst days for law enforcement in California's history. It was the single deadliest attack on California's police officers since the Newhall massacre in 1970, when four California Highway Patrol officers were shot and killed by two men in the Santa Clarita Valley. It was also the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
