It’s been nine years since the “Rider” case ended with a $10.5 million settlement and a promise to reform. Since then, reform has come at a painfully slow pace, and in the opinion of a federal judge, the pace has been unacceptable.
That’s why the judge forced the Oakland Police Chief to take a subordinate role to a federally appointed independent monitor. From police promotions to reforms and other house keeping items, the monitor must be consulted before decisions are made.
The decision came not as a result of the well-publicized action of the police department during the Occupy protests, but it certainly didn’t help. Citing the lack of measurable progress, the order was put in place. Should reforms not come any quicker, the judge does have the ability to place the department into a federal receivership, further relegating the local authority of the local law enforcement agency.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Frustrated and “in disbelief” by what he called the slow pace of reform, a federal judge on Tuesday ordered Oakland’s top cop to notify an expert overseeing the Police Department about anything that could affect a federal consent decree, including promoting or disciplining officers and changing policies or tactics.
In ordering interim Police Chief Howard Jordan to “regularly consult” with independent monitor Robert Warshaw, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson acknowledged that he was giving considerably more responsibility to Warshaw.
Read the full article here.