Let's Make a Strong Police Commission with Power to Discipline Officers a Reality in Oakland

The Oakland Police Department has been under the supervision and effective control of a Federal judge since 2003. The Negotiated Settlement Agreement (NSA) the City of Oakland agreed to, resulting from a pattern of police misconduct and racial profiling, was supposed to last no more than five years. We're now in our 13th year, the longest period of continuous Federal oversight in American history! It's been very costly; Oakland has paid more than $30 million dollars in external monitoring and related costs in to implement the sustainable reforms that would lead to the end of the NSA.

Since 2003 we have had four Mayors, seven City Administrators, and five Police Chiefs. Real reform is not just a matter of getting a good police chief; it requires actually changing the City government itself. We need a City institution that represents the communities the police are intended to serve.

Crime remains a major issue in Oakland as does a lack of trust in the police within communities of color. These two problems go together. Until the community trusts the police, there will be no significant reduction in crime. That trust cannot be earned until the Oakland Police Department achieves and sustains the reforms the City agreed to.

The Coalition for Police Accountability includes many organizations and community leaders in Oakland who are united in the belief that we need genuine and effective civilian oversight of the police. Over the past year the Coalition has developed Measure X, an amendment to the Oakland City Charter that turns the current Citizens' Police Review Board (CPRB), which can do no more than recommend discipline, into an agency of a Police Commission that has real power to approve police policies and, after an evidentiary hearing, to discipline officers who are found guilty of misconduct.

As a Charter amendment, Measure X can only be enacted by a majority of Oakland citizens voting at an election. The Coalition is working hard to get it on the ballot this year and we need help.

We are asking you to donate online at our website: http://www.coalitionforpoliceaccountability.org as a single payment or in the form of recurring monthly payments. You can also write a check to the Coalition for Police Accountability and mail to 2624 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland CA 94601. Or, please consider hosting a house party which could raise that amount and also help to educate Oakland voters on this issue.

We have done all we can with very limited resources, but we need your help if we are to succeed in November.