"Under state law, if a city wants to discipline a public employee, like a police officer, for misconduct, the city has to first give the officer an opportunity for a Skelly hearing. These are mandatory hearings for California public employees facing suspension, demotion, reduced pay, or termination. Only after a Skelly hearing can a city discipline an employee."
"Ausmus said that when she started reporting out Skelly data during Police Commission meetings in late 2024, OPD had nearly 170 pending Skelly hearings at the time. 'Right now, we're down to 46,' she told the commission. 'So we've made a significant dent in that.'"
"Hubbard and Interim Police Chief James Beere attributed the Skelly backlog to understaffing, stringent requirements for staff to recuse themselves from acting as hearing officers, outdated technology, and competing responsibilities."
Oakland Police Department significantly reduced its backlog of pending Skelly hearings, dropping from nearly 170 to 46 cases. Skelly hearings are mandatory pre-disciplinary proceedings required by California law before cities can discipline public employees, including police officers, for misconduct. The backlog accumulated due to understaffing, stringent recusal requirements, outdated technology, and competing responsibilities. OPD's reduction of pending cases represents progress toward meeting federal court-mandated reforms, now in their 23rd year of oversight. The department attributed the improvement to addressing staffing shortages and streamlining internal investigation and disciplinary processes.
#skelly-hearings #police-discipline #oakland-police-department #federal-oversight #backlog-reduction
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