MARIS61
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http://newsone.com/nation/associate...-takeover-due-to-excessive-force/?fb_ref=post
SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Jean Quan vowed Wednesday to quickly reform the scandal-plagued Oakland Police Department after a frustrated judge threatened a federal takeover if it fails to quickly make good on changes agreed to nine years ago.
U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he “remains in disbelief” that the department has failed to adopt the reforms.
Henderson’s frustration with the pace of improvements was evident throughout a scathing five-page ruling issued Tuesday.
“This department finds itself woefully behind its peers around the state and nation,” he wrote.
In his ruling, Henderson increased the oversight authority of a court-appointed monitor. Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan must now consult with the monitor before making important department decisions such as promoting and disciplining officers and changing policing policy and tactics.
Henderson ordered court hearings if city officials disagreed with the monitor’s recommendations.
Quan and Jordan said a federal takeover wouldn’t be necessary because Oakland’s new leadership has made compliance with the settlement a priority.
“We believe that the expertise of the monitor, coupled with the new leadership in the Police Department and the city administrator’s (office) and my commitment to further incorporate the requirements of the negotiated settlement agreement into OPD’s culture, will move Oakland into compliance as quickly as possible,” Quan said in a prepared statement.
The mayor, police chief, city manager and city attorney have all been in their posts for less than two years.
“The Oakland Police Department belongs to the community,” Jordan said. “The path forward will be guided by an actionable plan.”
Henderson said he will consider proceedings to appoint a federal receiver to run the department if the monitor submits a report this summer showing little improvement.
The judge appointed a monitor in 2003 to ensure the city complied with terms of a $10.5 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by victims of a notorious group of police officers known as “The Riders.”
The group was accused of beating and framing suspects in the West Oakland area for years. One officer was acquitted at trial and criminal charges against two former officers were dismissed after two trials ended in hung juries. A fourth former officer remains a fugitive who disappeared after charged were filed in 2000.
The current monitor, Robert Warshaw, was appointed in 2010 and oversees the settlement with a staff of seven people.
The settlement included 51 specific reforms the department agreed to make within five years. Henderson noted Tuesday that he’s extended the compliance deadline by years to little effect.
“Defendants have achieved full compliance with just over half of those tasks and, worse yet, have fallen in and out of compliance on some tasks, thus indicating a lack of sustainability,” Henderson wrote. “The outstanding tasks are not minor formalities; instead, they are significant areas that go to the heart of any police department, including how internal affairs investigations are completed, how officers are supervised, and the use and reporting of force.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Jean Quan vowed Wednesday to quickly reform the scandal-plagued Oakland Police Department after a frustrated judge threatened a federal takeover if it fails to quickly make good on changes agreed to nine years ago.
U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he “remains in disbelief” that the department has failed to adopt the reforms.
Henderson’s frustration with the pace of improvements was evident throughout a scathing five-page ruling issued Tuesday.
“This department finds itself woefully behind its peers around the state and nation,” he wrote.
In his ruling, Henderson increased the oversight authority of a court-appointed monitor. Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan must now consult with the monitor before making important department decisions such as promoting and disciplining officers and changing policing policy and tactics.
Henderson ordered court hearings if city officials disagreed with the monitor’s recommendations.
Quan and Jordan said a federal takeover wouldn’t be necessary because Oakland’s new leadership has made compliance with the settlement a priority.
“We believe that the expertise of the monitor, coupled with the new leadership in the Police Department and the city administrator’s (office) and my commitment to further incorporate the requirements of the negotiated settlement agreement into OPD’s culture, will move Oakland into compliance as quickly as possible,” Quan said in a prepared statement.
The mayor, police chief, city manager and city attorney have all been in their posts for less than two years.
“The Oakland Police Department belongs to the community,” Jordan said. “The path forward will be guided by an actionable plan.”
Henderson said he will consider proceedings to appoint a federal receiver to run the department if the monitor submits a report this summer showing little improvement.
The judge appointed a monitor in 2003 to ensure the city complied with terms of a $10.5 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by victims of a notorious group of police officers known as “The Riders.”
The group was accused of beating and framing suspects in the West Oakland area for years. One officer was acquitted at trial and criminal charges against two former officers were dismissed after two trials ended in hung juries. A fourth former officer remains a fugitive who disappeared after charged were filed in 2000.
The current monitor, Robert Warshaw, was appointed in 2010 and oversees the settlement with a staff of seven people.
The settlement included 51 specific reforms the department agreed to make within five years. Henderson noted Tuesday that he’s extended the compliance deadline by years to little effect.
“Defendants have achieved full compliance with just over half of those tasks and, worse yet, have fallen in and out of compliance on some tasks, thus indicating a lack of sustainability,” Henderson wrote. “The outstanding tasks are not minor formalities; instead, they are significant areas that go to the heart of any police department, including how internal affairs investigations are completed, how officers are supervised, and the use and reporting of force.”