Did Oakland's police union convince the City Council to block OPD oversight picks?

"Oakland leaders have declined for the second time to reappoint two incumbents to the Police Commission, the civilian body overseeing the Oakland Police Department. At the City Council meeting Tuesday night, all but two council members - Carroll Fife and Noel Gallo - voted to reject the nominees submitted by the Police Commission Selection Panel in December: Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, chair of the commission, and Omar Farmer, an alternate commissioner. The commissioners' terms expired in October, but both have continued to serve in a holdover capacity."

"Garcia-Acosta and Farmer have faced opposition from anti-civilian police oversight activists who have argued that the commission, during their tenures, has been too hostile to the police department. They believe the commission's scrutiny of OPD's policies and practices, as well as its team of civilian investigators who examine police misconduct cases, is partly to blame for OPD's many problems, including low staffing and difficulty recruiting and retaining officers."

"Supporters of the two commissioners say the council's involvement in picking commissioners is an "unprecedented assault" on the Police Commission's independence. In an email sent Tuesday before the council meeting, the Anti Police-Terror Project, an activist group critical of the police, wrote that the council's decision is "a sharp departure from long-standing City Council practice," and that it "undermines voter-approved oversight structures, and signals a dangerous shift toward police union influence over civilian accountability.""

Oakland leaders declined for the second time to reappoint Ricardo Garcia-Acosta and Omar Farmer to the Police Commission, the civilian body overseeing the Oakland Police Department. The City Council voted to reject the nominees, with only Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Noel Gallo supporting them. Both commissioners' terms expired in October but they continued serving in holdover status. Opponents, including anti-civilian police oversight activists, say the commission has been too hostile to police and blame its scrutiny and civilian investigators for OPD staffing and recruitment problems. Supporters argue the council's involvement undermines the commission's independence and favors police union influence.

Read at The Oaklandside