Oakland police chief touts reforms as department enters probationary period
OAKLAND - Chief LeRonne Armstrong has been with the Oakland Police Department for 24 years, before the Riders scandal hit. That scandal sent the department into federal oversight and ultimately receivership.
Today, under his tenure as chief, OPD moves into a one-year "sustainability" period to see if the 52 civil rights changes mandated by the federal government stick - which would allow oversight to finally drop.
"I hope that our community feels the change in this department. The culture is different. It is a young department. It is not the department I saw in the late 90s. We are bringing in young officers who are willing to partner with our community. They are accepting of civilian oversight," Armstrong told KPIX 5 on Wednesday.
Among key changes Armstrong said the department has made - a reduction in use of force and profiling.
"Really training our officers to actually try to minimize their need to use force. The idea that we have done everything we can to reduce racially biased stops - reducing our stop data by nearly 70% over the last four years," Armstrong said.
Critics worry that after this one year test, the department will regress - will backslide into old bad habits, infringing on the civil rights of Oaklanders. Armstrong said systems are in place to keep the department and its officers progressing forward.
"We have a process now to maintain that. So, we don't expect to regress at all," the chief said. "I think that's what's really important - not only do we change for today, but we put policies in place to ensure that there's a succession there. That it's not just about the person who is in the seat today."
Armstrong said it is about building trust and transparency for Oakland residents.
"We didn't start our reform effort today, we've been reforming over the last 20 years and I hope everybody feels a sense of admiration about the progress that has been made here and the department that we are today and I hope our community feels it when they interact with us - that we're better," he said.
If all goes well during the sustainability period, OPD could emerge from federal oversight on May 31, 2023.