Who should investigate complaints against Oakland police?

The Citizens’ Police Review Board should receive all civilian complaints. The benefits of civilian oversight are numerous:

1. Creates a credible process of investigating complaints of police misconduct that will increase public trust and confidence. The community is more likely to have faith that investigations are legitimate and objective if civilians, rather than other police officers, investigate allegations against police officers.

2. Creates a more cost-effective oversight agency. The salary of an IAD officer is as much as twice the salary of a CPRB investigator. Adding up the costs of salaries, employee benefits and overhead costs, it would cost the City the same amount of money to employ 20 CPRB staff members as it would cost to employ 8 IAD officers.

3. Provides at least ten additional patrol or detectives to OPD. The OPD can re-assign at least ten of the twenty-eight current IAD officers to either patrol or to detective positions. The OPD desperately needs additional officers to facilitate criminal prosecution.

4. Provides a more effective strategy of risk management by better oversight, saving the City millions of dollars in lawsuits. A civilian-run agency is more likely to recognize and take action against rogue police officers, saving the City money in the long-term from federal and state lawsuits against the Oakland Police Department and individual officers.

A better-funded Civilian Complaint Review Board and a streamlined Internal Affairs Department is a key measure to stopping police brutality in Oakland.

[Citizens’ Police Review Board meeting on 4/23/09: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/23/18590987.php]

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LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING ON APRIL 28TH AT 5:30 PM – AGENDA ITEM #7. You can fill out a speaker’s card on line and submit it electronically. Our item will probably not be called until 6:15 or even later….