NAACP works with city to boost Oakland police staffing

The Oakland chapter of the NAACP on Monday announced a new collaboration with the Oakland Police Department to recruit more officers from the community, especially Black residents as well as other people of color. 

At a press conference at the Oakland NAACP west office, retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte, an executive member of NAACP Oakland, spoke about racial patterns she has noticed among crime victims.

“I realized that the vast majority of cases, the victims were African Americans and members of other communities of color,” she said. “There are often people who say, somebody ought to do something. I’m here to tell everyone today that you are that somebody.”

The NAACP Oakland said the partnership will involve numerous other groups, including Oakland’s Public Safety Committee, the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, PG&E and Merritt College. They believe their recruitment will bolster public safety efforts in Oakland. 

Oakland employs 644 sworn officers, 133 of whom are on leave. That’s below the level mandated by Measure NN, an initiative passed by voters in 2024 that requires the city to maintain at least 700 officers at all times. The measure also increased the parking surcharge and parcel tax, which provide the city with additional funding for police and fire staffing. 

“Our voters voted to tax themselves so that this city could have 700 officers,” said the Rev. Damita Davis-Howard, the city’s public safety director. “We’re not talking about divided communities. We’re talking about those who voted for this measure and said, ‘I’ll tax myself for this.’ That’s a powerful statement.” 

The recruitment push comes during continued federal judicial oversight of OPD. The oversight dates to 2003, after the city settled a class action lawsuit by Black community members against OPD for failing to discipline and internally investigate a group of officers, informally known as “The Riders,” who engaged in widespread racially-motivated abuses. 

“I know there are many people out there wondering why in the world is the NAACP partnering with OPD, given some of the negative bad history of OPD in this community,” Harbin-Forte said. “We are partnering because our community needs the help, and the NAACP is a community organization.”

NAACP Oakland has faced criticism for advocating for increased police numbers. In September 2023, some members and others from the community wrote a letter to the NAACP National Headquarters, asking it to address the “lies, fear-mongering and the ‘tough-on-crime’ rhetoric” that they said was perpetuated by the NAACP Oakland. 

In an email to Oakland North, Millie Cleveland, chair of the Coalition for Police Accountability, said OPD should represent the city’s cultural and racial diversity. Police recruiters should educate potential candidates about the Riders case and understand the importance of civilian oversight of the police force, she said. 

“CPA maintains its position that real change comes from civilian oversight that assures  transparency and accountability,” she said. “Historically, change has not come from inside the policing system.”

At the news conference, Councilmember Charlene Wang, Public Safety Committee chair, recalled how three officers assisted her when she was subjected to domestic violence in 2008. “But we know that right now, here in Oakland, if we don’t have enough police staffing, it is going to be more domestic violence victims lined up in hospitals instead of being safe,” she said. Oaklanders who join OPD, she can make a difference, she added

“It’s time for Oakland to step it up. We all know that we have a police staffing crisis, but we need hometown heroes,” Wang said. “If you want to help us solve this crime, please sign up. We need your help.”

Cynthia Adams, president of NAACP Oakland, echoed that message, encouraging residents to join OPD and work to make the city safer.

“No more division. It’s over,” she said.

“It is time for all of us to come home and make Oakland beautiful.”

BART says it’s taken steps to avoid a repeat of the Sept. 5 systemwide shutdown