Long Road to Reform: Can Oakland Finally Exit Federal Police Oversight?
By Darius Spearman (africanelements)
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The Shadow of the Riders
The story of the Oakland Police Department and its struggle with the law does not begin with recent headlines. It began more than twenty years ago in the streets of West Oakland. During that time, a group of four officers known as the Riders created a reign of terror. These officers included Francisco Vazquez, Clarence Mabanag, Jude Siapno, and Matthew Hornung. They were accused of kidnapping residents and planting drugs like rock cocaine. They also falsified police reports and used brutal force against Black men (wikipedia.org).
The truth came to light because of a rookie officer named Keith Batt. He had been on the job for only ten days of field training. He could not stay silent after seeing his colleagues break the law and abuse citizens. He resigned and reported the crimes to Internal Affairs. His bravery exposed the deep corruption within the force. This led to a massive federal class-action lawsuit called Allen v. City of Oakland. Civil rights attorneys John Burris and Jim Chanin represented 119 victims who had been harmed by the Riders (archive.org).
In 2003, the city of Oakland agreed to settle the case for 10.9 million dollars. This settlement created the Negotiated Settlement Agreement, or NSA. This agreement forced the department to follow 52 specific tasks to improve its behavior. The goal was to ensure that the police followed the rules and respected the rights of all people. However, what was supposed to be a short period of watch turned into decades of federal monitoring. This has become the longest period of police oversight in the history of the United States (wikipedia.org).
The Cost of Oversight (2003-2026)
Defining Federal Oversight and the Consent Decree
To understand why this matters, one must understand what federal oversight means. It is a court-ordered plan where a federal judge and an independent monitor watch every move the police department makes. The department cannot make its own rules about things like use of force or internal investigations without approval. This structure acts as a parallel government that reaches deep into how the police operate daily. It is a struggle that highlights state vs nation centered power in the American legal system (jimchanin.com).
The Negotiated Settlement Agreement is a contract. It is not a suggestion that the city can ignore. If the city does not comply, the federal judge can take even more control. The judge has the power to place the department into receivership. This means the judge would take over the police budget and operations completely. For over twenty years, the city has worked to regain its independence. They want to prove they can manage their own police force without a federal monitor looking over their shoulder (oaklandca.gov).
The core of this oversight is about constitutional policing. This means the police must follow the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches. They must also follow the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection for everyone. For the Black community in Oakland, these are not just legal terms. They are protections against the kind of abuse the Riders committed. The transition away from federal watch is a test of whether the city has truly changed its culture (wikipedia.org).
The Struggle for Constitutional Policing
Oakland leaders argue that the department has become a model for the country. They claim that the police now use modern tools like body-worn cameras to document every interaction. These cameras provide a digital record that helps keep officers honest. In early 2026, the administration of Mayor Barbara Lee filed a court brief. This brief stated that the department had reached substantial compliance with the reform tasks. They want the federal court to end the monitoring phase (sfchronicle.com).
However, the data shows that deep problems still exist. A major study found that Black residents are stopped by police much more often than others. Even though Black people make up about 24 percent of the city population, they account for 60 percent of all police stops. This means that one in four Black men who are stopped end up in handcuffs. For white men, that number is only one in fifteen. These statistics suggest that racial profiling is still a major issue in Oakland (oaklandnorth.net).
Lethal force also shows a wide gap between races. Between 2013 and 2023, Black residents were more than four times as likely to be killed by police as white residents. This reality makes many people skeptical of the claim that the department is ready to be on its own. While the city leaders point to new policies, the community looks at the results on the street. The shift in how police treat citizens is a central part of the political shift from civil rights to mass incarceration that has impacted Black neighborhoods for years (oaklandreport.org).
Police Stops by Race in Oakland
Black Residents (60%)
White Residents (12%)
The Cultural Rot and Task 52
One of the hardest hurdles for the Oakland Police Department is known as Task 52. This task requires the department to be consistent when it punishes officers for misconduct. In the past, the federal monitor found that Black officers were punished more harshly than white officers for the same mistakes. The department must use a discipline matrix to ensure that every officer is treated fairly. Without this consistency, the culture of the department cannot truly change (wikipedia.org).
The term “cultural rot” has been used by Federal Monitor Robert Warshaw and Judge William Orrick. They used this phrase to describe a deep problem where officers cover for each other. This is often called the “blue wall of silence.” This rot was seen clearly in 2023 when Chief LeRonne Armstrong was fired. An investigation found that he had mishandled misconduct cases involving a sergeant. The sergeant had been in a hit-and-run and had even fired a gun in an elevator at police headquarters (cbsnews.com).
The failure to properly investigate these crimes showed that leadership was still prone to protecting its own. This scandal reset the clock on federal oversight. It proved to the court that the department still struggled to hold high-ranking officers accountable. Judge Orrick noted that even after twenty years, the department seemed unable to discipline itself without external pressure. This lack of internal accountability is why the “watchful eye” of the court has remained for so long (police1.com).
Leadership in a Time of Change
Today, the city is under the leadership of Mayor Barbara Lee. She took office in 2025 after a special election. As the first Black woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland, she brings a long history of civil rights advocacy to the table. Her role is vital because she represents a shift toward local power. She believes that the city’s civilian oversight structures are now strong enough to take over the work of the federal monitor. Her perspective is shaped by the history of how Black women contributed to the civil rights movement and fought for justice (sfchronicle.com).
However, the department has faced a lot of leadership changes. Since the firing of Chief Armstrong, there have been several people in charge. Currently, Interim Chief James Beer leads the force. This constant change makes it hard to maintain steady progress. Stability is necessary to prove to the federal court that the reforms will last. The city must show that it does not need a monitor to maintain constitutional policing (apnews.com).
Donald Trump is the current president of the United States. His administration’s approach to civil rights and police oversight adds another layer of complexity. The relationship between the federal government and local police departments can change based on who is in the White House. This makes the push for local control even more urgent for Oakland leaders. They want to ensure that the progress they have made is protected from changes in federal policy (oaklandnorth.net).
The Final Countdown for Federal Watch
As 2026 progresses, Oakland leaders are making a final push to end the NSA. They point to a significant drop in crime as proof of their success. In 2025, homicides in Oakland dropped by 22 percent compared to the previous year. Overall crime also fell by 24 percent. Leaders argue that the department is performing better than ever while also following the rules. They believe this data shows that the department is sustainable (sfchronicle.com).
But the court is not looking only at crime stats. It is looking at how the department treats people. Judge Orrick ordered a new structural change for the Internal Affairs Bureau. Now, the bureau reports directly to the Chief of Police. This “new step” is meant to prevent middle managers from hiding misconduct. It puts the responsibility for discipline squarely on the shoulders of the top leader. This change is one of the final pieces of the puzzle for the city to regain its autonomy (oaklandca.gov).
The history behind the headlines is a conflict between a city eager to move on and a court that is afraid of what happens when it leaves. The Riders scandal left a deep scar on Oakland. None of the four officers were ever convicted of a crime in court, though they were fired. This lack of criminal justice for the victims still haunts the community. It is the reason why the federal monitor remains a necessary shield for many residents (wikipedia.org, wikipedia.org).
2025 Crime Reduction
-24%
Overall Crime Drop in Oakland
Sustainability and the Path Forward
Sustainability is the keyword for 2026. The city must prove that if the monitor leaves, the department will not slide back into old habits. To do this, Oakland has created the Police Commission. This is a group of civilians who have the power to fire the Police Chief and oversee investigations. It is one of the most powerful civilian oversight groups in the country. The hope is that this local body can do the work that the federal court has been doing for twenty-three years (oaklandca.gov).
The transition is not just about ending a court case. It is about building trust with the people of Oakland. For many Black men in the city, the police have been a source of fear for a long time. The Riders era may be over, but the memory of it remains. True reform means that every person who is stopped by a police officer is treated with dignity and respect. It means that the rules are followed whether a judge is watching or not (oaklandnorth.net, oaklandnorth.net).
The coming months will determine if Oakland can finally close this chapter. The city is pushing hard to show it is ready. If the federal court agrees, the Oakland Police Department will enter a new era of self-governance. It will be a historic moment for a city that has fought long and hard for justice and reform. The eyes of the nation will be on Oakland to see if a department with such a troubled past can truly transform itself into a model of constitutional policing (sfchronicle.com).
About the Author
Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is the founder of African Elements, a media platform dedicated to providing educational resources on the history and culture of the African diaspora. Through his work, Spearman aims to empower and educate by bringing historical context to contemporary issues affecting the Black community.
