Judge ruling may put end to Oakland Police Department oversight after more than 20 years

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Oakland Police Department is closer than ever to completing court-ordered reforms aimed at ending more than two decades of federal oversight, according to court documents and attorneys involved in the case.

A federal judge in San Francisco is set to review the department's progress on Wednesday, focusing on the final remaining requirements tied to the long-running reform effort.

"We've been in it a long time over 20-plus years to get this together. A lot of progress has been made. We are down to the last three tasks," said civil rights attorney John Burris, who filed the original lawsuit.

The oversight stems from the 2003 settlement of the "Oakland Riders" scandal, in which officers were found guilty of falsifying reports, planting evidence, beating suspects and violating civil rights.

Out of 51 mandated reforms, three tasks remain under review. Those include filing citizen complaints in a timely manner, completing internal affairs investigations within 180 days and ensuring consistency in officer discipline. Burris said the first two tasks have been effectively completed, leaving the final decision on the third to the court.

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"It is extraordinarily important to me. It is as important as any issue there is that African American officers are treated the same and disciplined at a rate that makes sense statistically, compared to other ethnic groups," Burris said.

Burris said early years of the reform effort faced resistance from within the department and lacked reliable data to measure compliance. He said meaningful progress began around 2014, when better data systems were in place. He also pointed to leadership instability, noting the department has had more than 11 chiefs over the past two decades.

"Lack of consistent supervision, I think, had a negative impact on the ability to get the department under compliance," Burris said.

Former Oakland City Administrator Dan Lindheim, who served from 2008 to 2011, said the process has been complex, with each task containing multiple sub-requirements that must meet strict compliance thresholds.

"Let's assume that the monitor looked at nine cases. And eight examples you were in compliance. One, the monitor was not sure. That's eight out of nine, less than 90%. You fail," Lindheim said.

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Lindheim said progress accelerated during his tenure, with the number of completed tasks increasing significantly.

"Over our four-year period, we took that 11 (tasks) to over 40 completed tasks," he said.

The Oakland Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. The police officers' union has previously cited staffing shortages as a challenge in meeting reform requirements.

Court filings indicate that plaintiffs believe the department has made sufficient progress to move closer to ending federal oversight. The judge's review Wednesday will determine whether the department has satisfied the remaining requirements and can exit the reform process.