Oakland police again dinged by federal official for investigating misconduct too slowly

"The city's police department is no closer to ending two decades of direct oversight by a federal judge, having failed once again to investigate enough complaints against officers within a timeframe set by the court. Between January and March of this year, the Oakland Police Department's internal affairs unit finished vetting just 65% of the most serious complaints within six months far short of a required 85% threshold."

"It is a key task that U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick expects OPD to complete before he brings an end to court oversight, where the department has remained ever since a brutality scandal at the start of the century. OPD has been plagued by other controversies in the ensuing years, as well as high turnover. Chief Floyd Mitchell's resignation in October will again leave the department without a permanent leader."

"Achieving timely internal affairs investigations of officers is one of 52 court-ordered reform tasks the department was required to fulfill as part of a 2003 negotiated settlement following the Riders scandal. The department remains out of compliance with another task that deals more broadly with OPD's handling of IA investigations as a whole. OPD was also deemed partially in compliance with a task requiring officers to be disciplined in a consistent, non-discriminatory manner."

Oakland Police Department (OPD) completed only 65% of the most serious internal-affairs complaints within six months between January and March, well below the court-required 85% threshold. Internal affairs missed timely completion on 19 investigations during that period. U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick expects timely investigations before ending two decades of federal oversight tied to a 2003 settlement after the Riders brutality scandal. OPD also remains out of compliance on broader IA-handling tasks and is only partially compliant on consistent, non-discriminatory discipline. High turnover and the resignation of Chief Floyd Mitchell, effective Dec. 5, further complicate reform progress.

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