Can 20 Years of Oversight Reform a Police Department?
After 11 different police chiefs and myriad reforms, Oakland PD is “on the cusp of compliance.” But residents remain leery.
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Episode Notes
Following a civil lawsuit, with more than 100 plaintiffs, against a group of Oakland police officers known as “the Riders” in the early 2000s, the Oakland Police Department was put under federal oversight. Now, after nearly two decades of reforms, backslides into scandals, and close watch from activists and the feds, Oakland can enter a probationary period. But has the culture of the department really changed?
Guest: Darwin BondGraham, news editor of the Oaklandside and co-author of a forthcoming book about the Oakland PD. He and his partner, Ali Winston, have been covering the OPD for almost two decades.
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Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, Anna Rubanova and Sam Kim.
