Police

Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson got the call in the afternoon. “You better get your butt down here,” Patrisse Cullors told him. She was standing on a corner of Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza with five activists from London, each of whom had lost a family member to police violence. They were jetlagged and wearing matching T-shirts. “You’re supposed to be here,” Cullors said. A self-possessed woman with short, dreaded hair, Cullors is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter. Johnson is the…

At a meeting of the Oakland City Council’s public safety committee Tuesday night, Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent pointed to a “very significant” reduction in uses of force by police. He said new policies, training and body cameras all contributed to the reduction.

The Oakland City Council voted 5-1, with two abstentions, to approve a grant tied to hiring 15 new police officers after protesters disrupted the meeting, calling for funding for housing instead of more law enforcement.

On Tuesday, Alameda County became the first county in California to implement new regulations on controversial spying devices used by police.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to stop requiring female inmates who are arrested and booked into Alameda County jails to take pregnancy tests. This agreement, reached on October 28, comes as an out-of-court settlement to a lawsuit that was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California.

Department officials believe that, with more personnel and better equipment, they will be able to streamline their workflow and stay on top of which guns need to be traced.

The Oakland Police Department’s proposed purchase of shotguns and transfer vehicles were the most hotly contested items discussed at the concurrent Oakland City Council and Oakland Redevelopment Successor meeting Tuesday night. Other business included a year-end presentation by State Assemblymember Rob Bonta (District 18), a presentation of the AC Transit service expansion plan, and an adjustment to parking fees.

The Oakland Police Department (OPD) was granted $1.875 million for creating and preserving 15 community-policing law enforcement jobs.

Activists are promoting Mobile Justice CA, an app created by the ACLU of California which enables users to record and report police actions in their community.