Oakland, you have problems....

I have cop friends in California and I've told them more than once, "How the hell you work out there I can't figure out!" Every large city has some local "activist" that are opposed to law and order. But generally you at least have the administration, to one degree or another, to back you up. In Oakland....

Oakland Cops Think City Is Too Liberal

An internal survey of Oakland police officers reveals a deep disconnect between rank-and-file cops and the city they serve. Many officers said they do not trust the city's elected leaders and think they are too "liberal." A majority of city cops also complain that Oakland residents don't appreciate them. And officers think that department brass and city leadership are too focused on eradicating police misconduct and implementing court-mandated reforms. In addition, the survey reveals a stark division within the department between an old guard that is resistant to change and new officers who want OPD to become a modern, progressive police force.

The survey, which was conducted last fall, also paints a portrait of a police force that is plagued by low morale, distrust at all levels, and a lack of basic equipment and staff. The survey results also show that the department's patrol cops feel unfairly targeted by commanders for discipline and for what they view as unfair Internal Affairs investigations. Cops speak of a "culture of fear" that pervades the agency — fear of making mistakes and being "persecuted." We obtained the survey's results through a California Public Records Act request.

Perhaps most shocking are the survey's raw results: 65 percent of OPD's sworn officers reported not feeling valued by the department for the work they do. In addition, 55 percent of officers said they do not "feel valued by the citizens" of Oakland. And most Oakland cops have little faith in their own commanders. One survey question asked, "Do you believe commanders/managers treat members/employees fairly in the organization?" 64 percent of Oakland's cops responded "no."

More than half of the city's police officers also do not believe "that hard work and good work performance helps one get ahead," within OPD, and some officers say that the agency has become the "laughing stock" of law enforcement agencies.

Mayor Jean Quan and the city council received the lowest vote of confidence from OPD's officers. A whopping 84 percent of cops said they do not feel valued by the rest of Oakland city government. Echoing a line often used by the Oakland police union, one officer pushed for the council to give the police department greater leeway in running its day-to-day affairs: "Insulate employees from constant political turmoil and external pressures. City and Department need to stop rolling over for whoever screams the loudest at city council meetings. This City is hamstrung by political correctness and failed liberal agendas."

Another officer called the city council "crazy liberal." The same officer opined that cops accused of disrespectful conduct in the field were simply reflecting the nature of their working conditions: "The Department expects officers to treat citizens with respect, but when you look [at] the working conditions at OPD it is understandable. The building is gross. There is no equipment ...."

Few respondents had kind words for OPD's leadership. Common complaints centered on discipline. Many officers claimed that commanders use the requirements of the federal consent decree to shirk responsibility and arbitrarily punish subordinates.

"The general perception is that the command has been sacrificing officers to appease the monitors and the federal judge," one officer wrote. "Bringing policy change that will not hamstring the officer from doing their job for fear of reprisal from command would be the greatest incentive the department could offer."

Other Oakland cops believe that the federal consent decree — which was instituted in 2003 following a police misconduct scandal involving rogue cops known as The Riders — has resulted in a drive by internal affairs to discipline officers in order to appease US District Judge Thelton Henderson and his appointees. The officers think such actions reduce OPD's effectiveness in combating crime. One officer wrote that command staffers "only think about themselves and their survival," and that they "stand in the shadows when things get tough."...

For those of you don't know, a "Consent Decree" is the US Department of Justice taking over local police. Yes, that DoJ that sold weapons to the Mexican gangs leading, at least one weapon that was used in the murder of a Border Patrol agent. And it never ends. Basically an official is appointed by the Attorney General to oversee the police and he has no accountability to the city government, its citizens or the police department. Oh, these guys get paid hundreds of thousands as long as they are "serving", so as long as they are needed, they get more money. Gee, they are really motivated to end their term in office. As any reader of this blog knows, I firmly believe a bureaucracy has one reason to exist, and that is to exist.

But more to the point this is an organization in decline and disarray. It will not comeback until someone gets in, disciplins as needed, not as demanded by the people on the left, allows police to do their jobs and yes, stands up to the city's civilian superiors. Without that, a cop will simply do what is minimally required, take no risk on a possible lead and play it safe. Playing it safe doesn't accomplish much.

God help the people of Oakland.