Judge ends federal oversight of Oakland police department after 23 years

Following a 23-year period of federal oversight, a district judge has ended the arrangement for the Oakland police department (OPD), concluding the longest such arrangement in U.S. history. In the early 2000s, a faction of officers dubbed the "riders" were implicated in various misconducts including planting evidence, falsifying reports, and using excessive force, primarily against young Black men.

This led to more than 100 civil lawsuits against the department. In 2003, as part of a settlement, the OPD entered a federal court-ordered reform program, tasked with over 50 objectives such as tracking racial profiling, handling officer complaints more swiftly, and updating community policing practices. Despite these efforts, problems persisted and the department's reforms came under direct federal supervision in 2012.

Since then, the OPD has faced numerous scandals, such as allegations that several officers were involved in the sex trafficking of a teenager, resulting in a $1 million settlement in 2017. While some groups believe that ending federal oversight implies the department should not be scrutinized, the Anti Police-Terror Project emphasizes that "police cannot police themselves."

They note that the decision to end federal oversight does not erase the department's history of misconduct, nor does it suggest that Oakland should trust OPD to self-regulate.