Oakland police

I worked full time in an auto parts warehouse in West Oakland from 1970-1973 and then part-time for another 20 years.  For those of you old enough to remember, West Oakland was Huey Newton and Black Panther territory.  When I went to work, I was afraid of one group--the cops--and I’m a white guy.

I remember one night going home from work after the Loma Prieta earthquake, when traffic pattens were messed up from the freeway collapse, and getting viciously cursed at for not moving fast enough by one of the cops directing traffic.  I was praying that I wouldn’t get arrested and smacked around.

Between1993 and 2003 Oakland averaged 13 police shootings a year.  Between 2004 and 2008, 16 of 24 people killed in police shootings were black, none were white.  (Oakland is about 30% African-American.)

Here’s the good news.  In the past 18 months no one has been shot by the Oakland police.  A federal judge in 2012 ordered reforms and monitored compliance.  A board reviews cases where officers used force.  A computer programs tracks citizen complaints.  Some cops were fired.  The combination of threats and greater supervision seems to have transformed the Oakland police department.  

From what I have read about the New York police department, it could take a lesson from Oakland.

The statistics above are from Dan Levine in a Reuters news service report.