Coalition for Police Accountability

09/23/2026

John Burris and Jim Chanin, the lawyers for the Riders case that resulted in federal oversight of OPD since 2003, recommend the judge continue oversight for another year. OPD failed to meet benchmarks. CPA also raised concerns to the judge about the city's failure to fund the independent Police Commission, Inspector General, and Community Police Review Agency that are supposed to take over oversight.

Oakland leaders assert it’s time for the police department to come under local control again, despite an internal affairs setback. A federal judge will decide next week.

08/27/2026

The city and police union have settled a new five year contract. The city never had any public discussion of the community’s issues of concern and, it appears, none were addressed by the city. Please communicate with your councilmembers and the mayor’s office that you are disappointed that they continue to defer to the police union at the detriment of the city and the residents. Issues like accountability, civilianizing administrative work so sworn officers can focus off serious public safety, and GPS in police vehicles (like all other city vehicles) - remain unaddressed.

Oakland Police Officers Association press release Aug 27 2026:

Oakland Police Officers Reach Tentative Five-Year Agreement with City

Wage increases and longevity premiums aimed at retaining OPD officers and rebuilding understaffed police force

Oakland, Calif. — August 27, 2026 — The Oakland Police Officers Association (OPOA) and the City of Oakland have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year labor contract that provides police officers with nearly a 15 percent wage increase, while requiring officers to contribute more toward their pensions and pay a portion of their healthcare premiums in recognition of the City’s serious financial challenges.

The agreement follows months of negotiations and mediation and is designed in large part to address one of Oakland’s most pressing public safety challenges: retaining experienced police officers and preventing them from leaving Oakland for other law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the Bay Area.

“This agreement is first and foremost about keeping experienced police officers in Oakland and giving this city a fighting chance to rebuild its police department,” said Huy Nguyen, President of the Oakland Police Officers Association. “Oakland police officers are among the hardest-working police officers in America. They are doing the work of a department that should have approximately 1,000 officers but with only about 500 officers actually available to do the job. They are stretched thin every single day, yet they continue to answer the calls, investigate crimes and protect the people of Oakland.”

Retention of current officers was central to the OPOA’s and the City’s negotiating teams bargaining goal throughout negotiations. Nguyen said the agreement reflects substantial compromise by both sides.

Under the tentative agreement, officers will receive wage increases totaling 14 percent, over five years, beginning with a 2 percent increase in January 2027 and continuing through June 2031.

The agreement provides for significant enhancements in longevity premiums to reward officers for their continued service to the City of Oakland and incentivizes them to stay at OPD for duration of their careers.

Nguyen thanked the city and its negotiating team for working in the best interest of both Oakland residents and taxpayers and OPD officers.

“We appreciate the City’s bargaining team for recognizing the severity of Oakland’s staffing and retention crisis and for working with us to find common ground,” Nguyen said. “Neither side got everything it wanted. Our officers made significant compromises because we understand Oakland’s financial condition. The City made compromises because it understands that public safety depends on keeping good officers in Oakland. That is what collective bargaining is supposed to accomplish.”

“We recognize that Oakland is facing very real financial constraints, and our members agreed to make meaningful financial contributions to help the City,” Nguyen added. “At the same time, the City recognized that Oakland cannot afford to continue losing trained, experienced officers to neighboring departments. This agreement represents a responsible compromise that recognizes both realities.”

As part of the agreement, officers will gradually assume 10 percent of their medical premium costs by January 2030, beginning with 2.5 percent in 2027. Officers also agreed to increase their pension contributions through additional cost sharing that reaches 3 percent by July 2030, on top of existing employee pension contributions.

The tentative agreement also establishes a formal Labor-Management Committee with the Police Chief to address recruitment and retention, disciplinary and promotional processes, responses to calls for service and other labor issues.

Nguyen added that “Our members are currently considering the terms of the tentative agreement and voting will continue for the next ten days”.

07/27/2026

Our own warrior for police accountability, Reggie Lyles, was in the Sun-Reporter's special edition highlighting Black men who are change-makers in our communities! Reggie's decades in policing leadership gives him knowledge and expertise on how to write policy that works towards real constitutional policing. We are grateful and proud every day to work with him. No post about Reggie is complete without mentioning his service and leadership at Allen Temple Baptist Church. Along the way, he keeps CPA's connection to Allen Temple strong.

BTW, Judge Thelton Henderson is also in the Sun-Reporter's edition - he was the federal judge that started Oakland's federal oversight of OPD.

Check out the Sun-Reporter edition here:https://thesunreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Definitive-Legendary-Edition-June-1.pdf

07/20/2026

TOMORROW at 5:30 PM on Zoom: OPD is writing the policy for what its officers do when ICE shows up in Oakland; come listen and speak
The Oakland Police Commission Immigration Policy Ad Hoc meeting is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21st, at 5:30 PM on Zoom. The Zoom link is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85993545051 and on the Oakland Police Commission page.
If you missed last week's sessions, come to this one. The draft is still being worked on, which means public comment still shapes it. Once the ad hoc finishes and sends its recommendation forward, the window to change the language narrows fast.
Right now, OPD is drafting how its officers will respond when federal immigration enforcement happens in Oakland. Whatever gets written becomes the playbook officers follow when ICE shows up on your block. The Commission needs to hear from residents, not just the department.
To be clear: federal agents have the authority to enforce federal law in Oakland, and a well-defined OPD policy doesn't interfere with that. What a policy does is settle, in advance, whose safety comes first. It needs to answer three things:
1. What will OPD do when crowds gather at an ICE enforcement action? Will officers do crowd control or traffic control for ICE, effectively clearing the way for federal agents? Or will their job be protecting Oaklanders' safety and First Amendment rights?
2. Will OPD verify people claiming to be law enforcement or federal agents? Across the country, masked men in plainclothes have carried out enforcement actions, and impersonators have exploited the confusion. If unidentified people are claiming to be federal agents, will OPD confirm their identity, credentials, and warrants?
3. What will OPD do when federal agents break the law in Oakland? If someone breaks into your home with no warrant, that's a crime, badge or no badge. Will OPD protect Oaklanders, investigate, and refer cases to the District Attorney?
Oakland is a sanctuary city, and Mayor Lee's executive orders direct OPD not to assist ICE. But executive orders aren't operational policy. The specifics, what an officer actually does in those moments, are decided in meetings like this one.
If we want OPD to protect Oaklanders, we have to show up to the meetings where the policy gets written.
What you can do:
Attend the Immigration Policy Ad Hoc Zoom meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, July 21st, at 5:30 PM, and give public comment
Can't make it? Email the Commission your answers to the three questions above
Check the Oakland Police Commission page for the agenda and meeting details
Share this with a neighbor — a policy written in an empty room protects no one

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.

07/13/2026

OPD’s ICE response policy is being written RIGHT NOW; be there at the Police Commission’s ICE Policy Ad Hoc. Will OPD protect Oaklanders or ICE?

Oakland: OPD’s policy on ICE is currently being drafted. Show up before it’s finished.

The Oakland Police Commission’s ICE Policy Ad Hoc Committee is drafting rules on OPD’s response when federal immigration enforcement occurs in our city. There are two upcoming Zoom meetings at 5:30 on July 14th and 15th, Tuesday and Wednesday THIS WEEK. Once this policy is written, it’s what officers will follow when ICE shows up on your block.

Federal Agents have the right to enforce federal law in Oakland. A clear OPD policy does not interfere with that. We need an OPD policy that answers these questions:

1. What will OPD do when crowds gather at an ICE enforcement action?
Will officers do crowd control or traffic control for ICE, effectively clearing the way for federal agents? Or will their job be protecting Oaklanders’ safety and First Amendment rights?

2. Will OPD verify people claiming to be law enforcement or federal agents?
Across the country, masked men in plainclothes have carried out enforcement actions, and impersonators have exploited the confusion. If unidentified people are claiming to be federal agents, , will OPD confirm their identity, credentials, and warrants?

3. What will OPD do when federal agents break the law in Oakland?
If someone breaks into your home with no warrant, that’s a crime, badge or no badge. Will OPD protect Oaklanders, investigate, and refer cases to the District Attorney?

Oakland is a sanctuary city, and Mayor Lee’s executive orders direct OPD not to assist ICE. But executive orders aren’t operational policy. The specifics, what an officer actually does in those moments, are decided in meetings like this one.

If we want OPD to protect Oaklanders, we must show up for the meetings where they write the policy.

What you can do:
Attend the ICE Policy Ad Hoc zoom meeting on the 14th and 15th of July, at 5:30, and give public comment
Can’t make it? Email the Commission your answers to the three questions above
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Check oaklandca.gov/police-commission for the agenda and meeting details
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85993545051
Docs: https://www.oaklandca.gov/Public-Meetings/Police-Commission/2025/7152026-Immigration-Policy-Ad-Hoc
Share this with a neighbor because a policy written in an empty room protects no one

The resource documents that will be used and discussed during the meeting can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rqvGBc7NLhg76Qq6hReca9ECZFgg9sJ2?usp=sharing COPY URL AND PASTE INTO YOUR BROWSER

07/10/2026

While waste grows, independent police oversight in Oakland is declining. Each leg of our oversight has been facing cuts, rendering them unable to properly keep OPD in check. Independent oversight saves us money and resources while bringing constitutional policing to the Oaklanders. Tell city council to restore independent oversight now.

07/09/2026

The mayor and city council are cutting the watchdog. OPD currently has a multitude of problems, and without independent oversight, there is nobody to keep them in check. Tell council to restore oversight within the city.

07/07/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/rashidahgrinage1/p/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5w8wq1

OR "A Commission if you can keep it"

07/06/2026

What happens when the mayor and council don’t fund the independent Inspector General?

People die.

Retired NFL football player Doug Martin died in Oakland Police Department custody in October 2025. The family filed a federal lawsuit alleging that OPD officers asphyxiated him.
In 2021, a policy was finalized to protect against OPD officers causing asphyxiation while taking a person into custody. It is the responsibility of the independent Inspector General to audit how OPD trains for and uses such policies. But the city council and mayor have not funded the IG as required by the charter, so he cannot do all of his charter-mandated work. Indeed, the city council president cut one of only three positions in his office. Mayor Lee made up a $450,000 position identical to the independent Inspector General, except under her control—gutting the IG staff that is actually mandated by charter.
What happens with no independent oversight? It opens the door to corruption. It costs lives. It costs money. I bet the city pays more to the family of Doug Martin than it would have cost to staff the independent Inspector General's office.
This is but one example of City Hall quietly doing what the police union demands. Why was a mental health team not called to Doug Martin's scene? The council created MACRO to respond to low-level 911 calls, but for 4 years has not provided any oversight of the program that has drifted from its mission.
If City Hall wants to end independent oversight (and alternative emergency response), they should put a charter amendment on the ballot (and publicly end MACRO), instead of lip service while causing their death by a thousand cuts.

06/30/2026

Accountability on the Scene

If someone claims to be law enforcement in Oakland, they should be able to prove it. Tell the City Council to support the protection of Oaklanders when Federal Agents Show Up.
Masked agents. No badges. No names. People are detained with no explanation. That’s not safety. It’s exactly the kind of situation that erodes trust and puts everyone at risk, including real officers.
The Coalition for Police Accountability’s proposed OPD policy would require that when OPD responds to any federal operation in Oakland:
• OPD will NOT do crowd control or traffic enforcement to support an ICE action or suppress the community’s response
• OPD is present only to protect the safety of Oaklanders
• OPD will enforce traffic and parking laws on federal vehicles, the same as any other vehicle in Oakland
• OPD must verify the legal basis and documentation for detaining any Oaklander
• OPD must verify the identity and credentials of ANYONE claiming to federal or law enforcement authority

And if OPD determines someone is NOT a legitimate officer? OPD can detain or arrest them for impersonating a peace officer.
Verification protects everyone: residents, immigrant neighbors, and honest officers alike.
Help make this Oakland policy. Contact the City Council and the Public Safety Committee and tell them to adopt these accountability standards.
Coalition for Police Accountability. [email protected]